


From the Delta

by goshinote



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 34,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27385552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goshinote/pseuds/goshinote
Summary: Inuyasha's three-day weekend in his tiny hometown reunites him with an old heartache, a lost love, and the mistakes he'd made before leaving for his dream job in New York City. She was the dream he'd left back home, and Kagome never expected to run into the man she'd loved six years later. Sometimes fate has odd ways of sneaking up on you.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	1. Divergence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends. A little over one year ago, I wrote a story called Always You. It was about two high school sweethearts that reunited a few years later. I based it off a movie I saw as well as a song I love; both were about young love and revisiting it years later.
> 
> I always wanted to do a sequel to it, but I could never figure out how.
> 
> This is not a sequel to that. This story is its own, but it's a somewhat similar situation with quite a few big differences. In all honesty, it's what I was hoping Always You would be but hadn't quite accomplished.
> 
> Now, I've finally done it! This is a three-part story that originally started as a one-shot but grew into...this. And I love it.
> 
> A few notes:
> 
> In this story, neither Kagome nor Inuyasha have their respective brothers.
> 
> I did extensive research on some of the things in this story, so they are accurate to the absolute best of my ability.
> 
> I sincerely hope you enjoy this story.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

**From the Delta: Part I, Divergence**

Kagome drifted through the small market, being mindful to grab every item on her list. She'd only grabbed a basket on her way in, but it slowly became fuller and fuller until it was nearly all spilling out.

When her mother called her for the fourth time since Kagome had been in the store, no doubt with something else she forgot to put on the list, Kagome shook her head.

"Hey, Mom," Kagome greeted patiently.

"Hello, dear," her mother replied. "Are you still at the store?"

Kagome set the heavy basket on the ground beside her, making sure to stay out of everyone's way.

"Yes," Kagome said, "but my basket is full, so if you have any last minute things you need, they ought to be small."

Kagome's mother laughed. "I just need some tomatoes. That's it."

Kagome grimaced. During each call, Kagome's mother had asked for different things, but she always mentioned tomatoes. Kagome briefly wondered if her dementia was acting up, so she made a mental note to keep an eye on her mother that night.

"Okay," Kagome replied gently. "I'll grab them. Anything else?"

"No, that's it, dear," her mother confirmed. "I'll see you when you get home. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom," Kagome said before she hung up.

Kagome sighed and slipped the phone into her pocket. She picked the basket back up and nearly toppled over from the weight.  
She didn't realize she was crashing into someone until she felt a hard body knock into her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Kagome said as she barely kept herself from falling. "This darn basket is so heavy and I-"

Silver hair flashed in front of her. Golden eyes shone down at her.

There was no way. It couldn't be him.

But...it was.

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed. "Um, hi."

Inuyasha looked at her in awe. "Hi, Kagome."

Kagome adjusted the basket on her arm and tried to appear as close to normal as possible.

"How are you?" she asked. Inuyasha fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt.

 _Sophisticated button-down shirt. Khakis. Dapper and no doubt_ expensive _shoes._

Kagome could have cried. They just served as more reminders of what had happened six years ago.

_And here I am in dirty jeans from working in Mom's garden._

She definitely was not going to think about the fact that her ratty old t-shirt was one of Inuyasha's from high school...

Funny how things turn out.

"I'm well," Inuyasha said. "How are you?"

The two of them asking each other something as simple as _How are you?_ seemed like the most loaded question they could exchange.

 _How am I?_ she repeated internally. _How can I even answer that?_

"I'm fine," she replied. "So...what are you doing in town?"

Inuyasha hesitated. "Mom has been wanting me to come visit since...well, for a while. I have a three-day weekend for the first time, so I flew down to see her."

 _He didn't call,_ Kagome realized. _Inuyasha came to town, and he didn't call. Would he have?_

"That's great," she lied. "I didn't even know you were here." Inuyasha grimaced.

"It's a quick visit," he explained. "No use in making a big deal about it."

All the pain from six years ago resurfaced in that one moment.

Kagome thought she'd dealt with it on her own, that she would be fine. She'd never thought she'd see him again.

Now here he was in front of her: the epitome of success and wealth.

He barely even had his southern drawl anymore. It's like he'd never lived in their tiny town in southern Virginia.

"I see," Kagome said. "Well, it was good to see you." Inuyasha glanced at her basket.

"Do you need help with that?" he asked. Kagome shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she said curtly. "I need to get home now."

She inclined her head in parting before turning in the opposite direction to head to the check-out.

Her heart was racing in her chest, and it felt like she'd never be able to catch her breath. She'd started to sweat a little bit, and she knew it wasn't just from the late summer heat.

Inuyasha had high hopes when he left, big dreams, and Kagome always knew he'd accomplish all of his goals.

She just never thought she'd have to see it.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha knew Archie, the owner of the small market, would be displeased, but the silver-haired man just dropped his items on a random shelf before high-tailing it out of the place.

_Kagome…_

He walked to the parking lot in search of his rental car and started to wish he hadn't chosen it.

A high-end Porsche SUV in a small town like this?

What had he been thinking? There wasn't even a rental car company in the town. He'd had to rent it when he got off his flight in the nearest airport an hour away.

He'd gotten it because he _could._ Because he had the money.

At twenty-eight-years-old, Inuyasha was a very successful financial manager for one of the most prestigious companies in New York, so money hadn't been an issue for him during the last few years. He lived in a nice apartment, drove a nice Corvette convertible back home in the city, and was still able to send money back to his mother to keep her financially-comfortable with him living four states away.

Wealth and success. It was what he'd always dreamed of.

Well, minus a thing or two.

_Kagome…she was wearing my shirt._

Inuyasha hurried to his mother's house, still a bit shaken from seeing Kagome.

He wondered if she still thought about him late at night, like he did with her.

He wondered if her heart panged when he was brought up in conversation, like his did about her.

Inuyasha's mother mentioned that she stayed in touch with Kagome as well as Mrs. Higurashi over the years, so Inuyasha knew Kagome had heard about his job and probably his life in general.

Inuyasha shook his head as he drove on. He was supposed to be getting stuff from the store to cook dinner for his mom to show her a new recipe he'd learned, but there was no way he could go back into that store.

He sighed as he pulled into the nearest McDonald's parking lot and headed to the drive-thru. It was the only fast food place in the tiny town, so it would have to do.

 _I'll cook dinner for Mom tomorrow night,_ he resolved. _Maybe I'll just go to the next town over to shop for stuff. Even though it's a thirty minute drive..._

Inuyasha placed his order as well as his mom's through the speaker before driving around to the window.

Once he'd paid and gotten the food, he set it on the empty passenger side and set off for his mother's house.

He'd forgotten how many potholes were in the road when he came from this direction. He wasn't sure what he was more worried about: a flat tire in the rental car or spilling their drinks and food all over the seat. He swore the potholes must have gotten worse over the years.

He remembered driving sixty miles per hour down these back roads with all the windows of the old beat-up sedan rolled down and Kagome squealing with laughter from the passenger seat. Back then, he knew the roads enough to avoid the existing potholes.

Inuyasha still knew how to avoid those; it was the new ones he was having trouble with.

Driving down this road in a luxury vehicle only going twenty miles per hour was just _weird._

He tried to just push it from his mind and focus on getting to his mother's house in one piece.

Luckily, he made it to his mother's driveway without blowing any tires or spilling any food.

"Mom, I'm back," Inuyasha called when he walked in the house.

"In the kitchen!" his mother called back. "I've got the pots and pans out for when you-"

His mother cut herself off and seemed confused when Inuyasha walked in with two drinks and a McDonald's bag.

"Are you too tired to cook, honey?" she asked in concern. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you offer after such a long haul to get here."

Inuyasha shook his head and set the bag and drinks on the table.

"No, it's okay, Mom," he assured her. "I just...well, I'll cook tomorrow night. Does that sound good?" His mother nodded and began to put the cooking supplies away as Inuyasha pulled their food out of the bag.

His mother brought over two plates for Inuyasha to set their fries on as well as his McChicken and his mother's chicken and ranch wrap.

"Thank you for dinner, honey," Inuyasha's mother said. "It's been a while since I got to indulge in fast food."

Inuyasha smiled. "Of course, Mom. It makes me think of getting McDonald's every Friday after school."

His mother laughed. "Oh, that's right. Your father never could break his McDonald's addiction, up until the accident. It might sound odd, but I think he would've been glad his last meal was McDonald's." He didn't often think about the accident that had not only taken his father's life, but Kagome's father as well.

Their fathers had been close friends and had gone for a drive one night. They'd hit a deer on that drive, which had caused a nasty explosion on the engine. Their fathers died in the fire.

There were fresh McDonald's wrappers in the backseat, and when the emotional wounds had somewhat healed from the tragedy, they often smiled at their "last supper" of fast food.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Dad and those fish sandwiches. I don't know how he could scarf them down like that."

His mother laughed again. "And you with your McChickens, especially when Kago-" His mother cut herself off and looked at Inuyasha guiltily.

"Sorry, honey," she apologized. "I didn't mean to…" Inuyasha shook his head.

"It's alright," he replied. "Kagome was always craving a cheeseburger."

"She's still in town living with her mom," his mother said gently. "In case you want to call her...or something."

Inuyasha frowned. "That's probably not a good idea." He hesitated for a moment. "Plus...I already saw her at Archie's."

His mother's eyes widened. "You did? I see. Did that have something to do with our change in dinner plans?"  
Inuyasha blushed. "It just threw me off, Mom. Being near her again...I had to get out of there. Things are so different, so I just...I don't know."

His mother hummed. "Six years is a long time, Inuyasha. Maybe you two can just talk and try to make amends."

Inuyasha looked down at the food in front of him. "I think it's too late for that. What I did to her...there's no coming back from that."

His mother reached out and put her hand over his. "I understand, honey. Now, let's finish eating and then we'll turn on a movie. Does that sound good?" Inuyasha finally smiled and nodded.

But as he took a bite of his McChicken, he couldn't help but think about Kagome.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome raced home after checking out at the market.

As she walked through the parking lot, she found herself looking for Inuyasha's old beat-up Honda Civic.

She shook her head after a moment, reminding herself that the car had been dead since they were nineteen. She nearly smiled. _One too many potholes._

Besides, knowing how successful the silver-haired man was now, he probably drove a _much_ nicer car.

Kagome felt sick to her stomach as she walked to her Ol' Reliable car she'd had since she was sixteen. The hand-me-down from her father had lasted for the last twelve years, so she didn't see a need in getting a new one.

Well, unless she wanted to get a car without any dents...or chipped paint...or old bumper stickers representing her and Inuyasha's favorite childhood bands. But she didn't, so...that was that.

Seeing him again had been just as painful as she'd been expecting, but it was also somehow even worse.

She thought about him the whole way home, which wasn't completely abnormal, but made her feel differently than usual.

Truth be told, she thought about Inuyasha every single day. She hadn't spoken to him in six years, so she only saw him or heard his voice in her memories.

So to see him there, in the flesh and having reached all his goals, was painful. _Really_ painful. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled into her driveway.

When she reached the house, she parked her car and grabbed the groceries before heading inside.

"Mom," she called when she opened the front door. "I'm home. Are you hungry?"

Kagome's mother was sitting in the living room with the television on, but it didn't seem like she was paying much attention to it.

Kagome frowned and quickly put the groceries in the kitchen before walking back to the living room.

She sat down on the couch next to her mother and set a hand on her arm.

"Mom?" she said gently. "Are you hungry?" Kagome's mother turned her head and looked at Kagome, her eyes seeming to not recognize her for a moment before she finally smiled.

"Sorry, dear," she replied. "I must have fallen asleep. I didn't hear you come in." Kagome smiled, trying to hide her concern because her mother had definitely not been asleep.

"Are you hungry?" Kagome repeated kindly. "I finished grocery shopping."

Kagome's mother frowned and shook her head. "Oh, no. I forgot to ask you to get tomatoes."

Kagome smiled. "I got some. I figured you'd want them, so I went ahead and got a few." Sometimes it was easier to go with the flow rather than remind her.

After a moment, her mother's eyes cleared up a bit and she seemed to focus on Kagome a bit more.

"What are you cooking?" her mother asked. She seemed more alert and cognizant, so Kagome figured her little spell had passed.

"I'm going to make homemade pizza," Kagome replied as she stood up, tugging her mother up along with her. "Do you want to join me in the kitchen while I make it?" Kagome's mother nodded and smiled.

Kagome set to work on cooking and laughed when her mother turned on the radio and began singing loudly.

Kagome had just put the pizza in the oven when the phone rang. Her mother turned the music down so Kagome could have some quiet for the call.

"Hello?" Kagome answered as she picked up the phone.

"Hi, Kagome," Izayoi greeted.

Kagome's eyes widened. _Inuyasha's mother? She normally calls once or twice a week, but she just called yesterday._

Kagome nearly sighed. _Inuyasha must have told her we ran into each other._

"Hey, Izayoi," Kagome replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine," Izayoi said. "I wanted to apologize…"

Kagome frowned. "Why?"

Izayoi hesitated. "Well, I didn't mention that Inuyasha was coming when you and I spoke on the phone yesterday. He said he saw you at Archie's market, and, well, I'm sure that was a bit of a shock. I should have warned you."

Kagome nearly laughed. _Is my life a joke?_

"Oh, it's okay," Kagome replied. "He said he was keeping it quiet, so you don't have to apologize for anything. Besides, he was very nice earlier, so it's alright."

"That's good to hear," Izayoi said. "Would you and your mother like to come over for dinner tomorrow night? Inuyasha is cooking."

"Uh, well," Kagome stuttered. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea…"

"Are you sure, Kagome?" she replied. "Inuyasha won't be coming to town again for a while, and I just think it would be so nice if you two could patch things up. Maybe even be friends again."

Kagome could have choked. "I'm not sure, Izayoi."

"Please, Kagome?" Izayoi pleaded. "It would mean so much to me, and I'm sure he would love to see your mother, too." That had Kagome halting.

Her mother had practically threatened bodily harm to Inuyasha if he ever came around their house again after the mess that had happened between him and Kagome.

But that was six years ago, so maybe it wouldn't end in violence.

"Well, okay," Kagome finally conceded. "If Inuyasha is okay with it, then sure."

Izayoi squealed excitedly. "Wonderful! How about six tomorrow evening?"

"Sure, that'll be fine," Kagome replied.

They chatted for a few more moments before Izayoi ended the call quite abruptly.

Kagome set the phone back on its stand before resuming her clean-up from cooking the pizza.

_What on earth did I just agree to?_

O.o.O.o.O

"You _what?"_ Inuyasha asked. "Mom, why would you do that?"

Inuyasha had walked out of the bathroom to hear his mother speaking with someone on the phone. When he heard Kagome's name, he frowned before his mother ended the call rather quickly, only to find out that his mother had invited Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi to come to dinner the following evening.

"Oh, relax, honey," Izayoi said. "It's just dinner. It'll be nice for you and Kagome to catch up. Mana will probably be happy to see you, too."

Inuyasha shook his head. He'd lost his right to call Mrs. Higurashi by her first name a long time ago, and his mother knew that.

"No, Mom," he replied adamantly. "Call and cancel."

Izayoi huffed. "Mind your tone when speaking to your mother, son. Your father wouldn't want to hear it."

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just...a little surprised and more than a little overwhelmed. Kagome's mom hates me."

Izayoi's eyes softened. "I haven't told you much, but Kagome's mom's dementia has gotten worse over the last year or so. She's still cognizant a majority of the time, but when she has trouble with it, it can be difficult, especially on Kagome since she cares for her full-time now."

Inuyasha looked away. Mrs. Higurashi had been diagnosed with dementia right before he'd moved to New York six years ago. It was the absolute worst time for him to leave this town, to leave _Kagome,_ but he'd done it anyway.

He felt that shame and guilt every single day.

"Maybe seeing you might help," Izayoi continued. "Making amends with Kagome as well as her mother might bring some much needed peace to everyone."

Inuyasha mulled over that for the rest of the night.

As he lay in his childhood bed in his childhood bedroom, he realized just how much he _needed_ that peace.

His room was filled with memories of his old life and little pieces of Kagome.

There was a photo of them together on his nightstand that had been facedown since he left town for New York. Unable to sleep, he sat up in his bed and turned on the lamp before grabbing the framed photo.

His eyes widened when he looked down at the smiling faces of a much younger Kagome and Inuyasha. He vividly remembered when his mother had taken that photo.

There were sixteen in that photo and had only been dating for a little over a month, but they already looked like two fools in love. They were both smiling at the camera with Inuyasha's arm wrapped around Kagome's shoulders while her arms were wrapped around his torso, her body angling into his like she always did.

 _"You're so warm!"_ she would say. It was like a reflex: a picture of them would be taken, and that was the pose they'd instantly assume. It was how they'd been as kids since they'd met in kindergarten, but as time went on, the pose became less friendly and a whole lot more romantic.

Inuyasha ran his thumb over Kagome's face in the photo. At the sight of her smile, he understood why it had taken him so long to get over her, why he'd still pined for her despite being the reason for their break-up.

But now, being back in town after seeing her in person and in the photo from twelve years ago, he wondered just how at peace he was about it.

He'd gone on his first date two years after he moved to the city. She was nice and admittedly a phenomenal kisser, but nothing compared to Kagome.

He would take their sloppy, inexperienced, teenaged first few kisses over any other women's lips.

So he'd stopped dating. It seemed like it just wasn't in the cards for him, especially with his company expanding and the subsequent promotion he received. That's when the money had really started rolling in, when he'd moved to his nice apartment, and when he'd bought his nice car.

He used those things as a distraction from the empty side of his king-sized bed and the vacant chair across from him at the breakfast nook in his kitchen. He distracted himself from the fact that he was living in a place Kagome had never even seen, in a state she'd never even been to, in a world she'd never understand.

The things he said to her when they broke up...a lot of them were unforgivable. Kagome was a feisty, fiery woman, so she'd said some harsh things right back, but Inuyasha had been the one to leave. It was his departure that had been the final nail in the coffin of their six-year relationship.

Inuyasha put the photo back on his nightstand, returning it to its facedown position. After a moment of hesitation, he picked the photo up so it was upright and in his view as he lay back down in his bed.

Kagome's smiling face was the last thing he saw before falling asleep.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome took out her frustrations on the weeds in her mother's yard.

She'd taken care of the garden the previous day, so she was now focusing on the patches of flowers on either side of the small porch.

Kagome was actively trying to not think about the upcoming dinner with Inuyasha and Izayoi. She'd dug out some old photo albums the previous night but had chickened out before going through them. She left them strewn about on the floor in front of her closet. It had been a few years since Kagome had cried about what had happened, and she wasn't planning on doing it again any time soon.

Kagome didn't realize how hard she was hitting the weeds with the trowel until she heard her mother come outside.

"Kagome?" Mana called. "I made lunch."

The simple task of her mother cooking had Kagome nearly overjoyed. Her mother had woken up in a good mood, and Kagome could tell it was going to be a good day for her.

Kagome paused her weeding to look at her. "Thanks, Mom. What did you make?"

"Some sandwiches," Mana replied. "Are you hungry?" Kagome nodded.

"Let me just finish this last section," she said before getting back to the weeds.

Her mother stood on the porch watching her for a few moments.

"Goodness, dear," Mana said. "Are you alright? You're practically destroying the whole patch of dirt along with the weeds."

Kagome sighed. _That's enough for now._

"Sorry, Mom," Kagome replied as she stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans. "I'm just...a little nervous."

Kagome's mother opened the door to lead her inside. "What's wrong?"

Kagome shook her head. "Well, I'm a little worried about dinner tonight. I haven't seen Inuyasha in _years,_ so…I don't know. I'm gonna go change before we eat."

A few moments later, after Kagome had washed up and changed into clean clothes, she and her mother sat down at the table for lunch.

"I remember what Inuyasha did to you, dear," Mana said. "It wasn't right." Kagome shook her head.

"We both made mistakes, Mom," Kagome replied. "It's not fair to pin it all on him." Kagome's mother hummed.

"I suppose you're right," she conceded. "But I just remember how devastated you were when he left. It's hard to watch your child break like that."  
Kagome frowned. "I wasn't a child, though, Mom. I was twenty-two." Her mother shook her head.

"But you'd loved him since you were a child," Mana pointed out. "Seeing that childlike light die in you...that was tough, dear. I don't want to bring up sad things from the past, but…"

Kagome sighed. "It's going to come up anyway. There's no way I can sit in the same room as him and not feel things. I'm just gonna ignore it, though. No point in getting upset over the same thing all over again."

Mana reached out to pat her hand. "I'll be nice to him," she promised. "But I'm in your corner all the way. If it feels like too much, we'll leave." Kagome smiled.

"Thanks, Mom," she replied. "And if you start getting tired or not feeling well, we can leave." Mana shook her head.

"I feel alright today," she assured her. "Yesterday was tough, but I'm alright today."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. Her mother's dementia was an ebb and flow, so some days were harder than others. Any day in which she was mostly present was a win.

"But, Kagome," her mother continued, "since losing your father and getting my diagnosis...I've learned that life is short and scary and sudden."

Kagome nodded, glad that her mother had learned it and was willing to show kindness, but wondering if Kagome herself would ever get there.

o.O.o

At three in the afternoon, Kagome was standing in front of her fridge.

She'd always been taught it was bad manners to show up to a dinner empty-handed, so she was looking for something she could whip up fairly easily.

She found ingredients for a simple pie, so she decided to get that going.

 _Good thing we have apples,_ she realized as she grabbed several. _That's Inuyasha's favorite._

Kagome sighed and got to work on making the crust and filling. She didn't even need the recipe book anymore; she'd made this pie countless times.

_"How do you always manage to bake this perfectly?"_

_Kagome blushed at Inuyasha's question. "Well, I've just made it so many times since someone is always begging for it."_

_Inuyasha put his plate down and tackled her onto the couch in the living room where they were eating the pie and watching the movie._

_He placed little kisses all over her face before planting a firm, apple-flavored one on her lips._

_When he pulled away, he smiled down at her. "When we get married," he began, "we should have the pie instead of a wedding cake."_

_Kagome laughed. "We're only seventeen, stupid. You're already planning a wedding with me?"_

_Inuyasha smiled and pulled her up and into his arms._

_"Who else? I love you, Kagome."_

_"I love you, too, Inuyasha."_

Kagome slammed a pan down on the counter and took a deep breath.

"How did I think it wouldn't be this hard?" she muttered to herself as she closed her eyes for a moment.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha set the oven timer and slid the casserole inside to start baking.

He wiped his hands on his apron before pulling it off and setting it on the counter.

There were green beans, potatoes, and carrots heating up on the stove. Inuyasha asked his mother to keep an eye on them while he went upstairs to change.

Inuyasha pulled out his clothes from his suitcase and tried to figure out what he should wear for the occasion.

His go-to was normally khakis and a nice button-down shirt. Maybe a sports coat if he needed an extra bit of warmth or professionalism.

But being dressed like that in this town, even just yesterday, made him nauseous.

Traipsing around in fancy clothes was so _not_ him, but over the years, he'd conformed to it.

Inuyasha sighed and grabbed the only pair of jeans he'd brought. Granted, they were a designer brand, but they were still dark blue so he figured they'd be okay.

He had a simple button-down shirt that was a plain gray, so he put that on as well. He tucked the bottom in and chose the least ostentatious belt he'd brought.

Inuyasha didn't bother with shoes; he just kept his feet covered with socks and called it a day. He ran a brush through his hair and redid his usual neat ponytail.

After wearing his hair back everyday for so long, Inuyasha still couldn't get used to the sight. He'd always worn the waist-length locks flowing free; it had been one of Kagome's favorite things about him.

She used to run her fingers through his hair when they would go on drives. She would always slow her fingers so they ran softly enough that it started to drive him crazy enough to pull over on the side of the empty road to kiss her senseless.

He took a last look at himself in the mirror before pulling his hair out of the ponytail to flow free. He looked more like himself than he had in years, and he couldn't tell if it was painful or comforting.

Izayoi gave him a knowing look when he walked back in the kitchen.

"You look nice," she complimented as he came to take over the food on the stove.

"Keh," he scoffed lightly. "You're just saying that because you're my mom." Izayoi laughed and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sure I won't be the only one thinking it," she teased. Inuyasha sighed.

"Mom, please don't," he said. "That's the last thing on my mind. I'm sure it's the same for her, too."

Izayoi hummed and went to set the table in the dining room.

"I think you should just keep an open mind," she said gently. "Fate doesn't often work out like this. Think about it...the one time you're here, you run into her at the grocery store."

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's the only grocery store in town, Mom. It's not that big of a coincidence that we ran into each other. Honestly, I should have expected it, but...I don't know."

Izayoi shrugged. "Just keep what I said in mind. Is that almost done? They'll be here in about twenty minutes."

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome could hardly breathe on the ten-minute drive to Inuyasha's house.

Her mother was sitting quietly in the seat next to her with the apple pie sitting safely in her lap.

"It's warming my legs up real good," Mana said. "It smells delicious, too."

Kagome smiled at her in an attempt to hide her anxiety.

 _What am I doing?_ she asked herself. _Why am I doing this? This is such a bad idea!_

When they pulled into Izayoi's driveway, Kagome was starting to worry she was going to pass out.

As she and her mother got out of the car, Kagome gave herself a final onceover in hopes that she looked presentable enough.

She'd slipped on her only pair of jeans without paint or permanent dirt stains along with a simple blue blouse. She'd brushed her hair instead of tossing it up in the usual bun on top of her head, so she was feeling a little out of her comfort zone.

_Whatever. The sooner we go inside, the sooner we can eat, and the sooner we can leave._

The sound of her mother ringing the bell echoed through her mind, and when the door opened and she stood face-to-face with Inuyasha, she nearly choked.

His hair wasn't pulled back in the ponytail she'd seen yesterday. It was long and flowing like she remembered, and she felt the sudden urge to run her fingers through it like she always loved doing.

He was dressed much more simply, in jeans and a casual button-down shirt, but he looked amazing. It wasn't the style she remembered...he had been all torn jeans and flannel shirts back in the day, but in his more mature age and older facial features, it worked for him.

And for some reason, that made her sad. It broke her heart a little more.

He was made for the life he'd chosen over her. Every unaccented word that came from his mouth or suave gesture he made was just another knife in her. She wondered if he thought it was worth losing everything he had in this town.

What was going through his mind?

He smiled politely at them after he opened the door.

"Hi, Kagome," he greeted. "Hi, Mrs. Higurashi."

Kagome's mother smiled. "Hi, Inuyasha, but what's this 'Mrs. Higurashi?' You know you can call me Mana."

Inuyasha seemed surprised, but he nodded. "It's good to see you both. Dinner just came out of the oven so you're just in time."

Inuyasha led them to the kitchen where Izayoi was grabbing silverware.

"Welcome!" Izayoi said as she hugged Kagome and Mana. "I'm so happy you two could come. Inuyasha made an amazing casserole for us to have. Oh, what do you have there?"

Kagome hesitated for a moment before moving to set it on the counter.

"I made an apple pie for dessert," she said. "We didn't want to come empty-handed."

She could see Inuyasha pause from the corner of her eye, and she wondered if his thoughts were the same as her.

They ate that pie every week when she would make it and plan their wedding around it each time after Inuyasha made the original comment about serving it at their wedding. They were seventeen and young but in love. Kagome hadn't really eaten apple pie since he left. Too many memories.

"That sounds good," Inuyasha said, his smooth voice sounding like the definition of polite. "It's been quite a while since I've had apple pie."

Kagome forced a smile but didn't quite meet his gaze.

"It's my specialty," she replied.

Izayoi was a master at keeping conversation flowing, so the awkward silences Kagome had expected were non-existent as they all filed into the dining room to eat.

"Itadakimasu," Mana announced. Kagome and Izayoi echoed while Inuyasha nodded his thanks for their gratitude.

The first bite of casserole was amazing, and Kagome wondered where on earth Inuyasha had learned to cook like that.

 _He lives in the city, dummy,_ she scolded herself. _He's probably learned from fancy people he's met. Or maybe even from a girl...oh, no. What if he has a girlfriend?_

Kagome hadn't dated anyone since Inuyasha left; she felt like there wasn't really a point. The great love of her life had left, and she knew no one could ever compare to him.

"This is absolutely delicious, Inuyasha," Mana said. "Where did you learn to make it?"

"We had a cooking workshop at my job recently," Inuyasha explained. "We had good numbers this quarter, so my boss held a workshop as a congratulatory celebration."

"That's incredible!" Mana exclaimed.

_Well, at least he learned how to cook after shattering my heart._

"It's very good," Kagome added. "I sure hope my apple pie can measure up."

Okay, so she was being a little petty, but she was way beyond caring.

"Nothing is as good as your pie, Kagome," Inuyasha replied. "This was just the opening act of the main event."

Mana and Izayoi laughed, but Kagome only met Inuyasha's gaze across the table.

The golden eyes were the same, although perhaps not as light-hearted and happy as they once were, but they were still Inuyasha's eyes.

She looked away and focused back on the casserole on her plate.

o.O.o

They managed to make it through dinner and dessert with minimal incident. Izayoi and Mana kept up a steady conversation, and to Kagome's relief, Inuyasha's life wasn't brought up much more.

He really only mentioned his job going well and how much he enjoyed it. He didn't bring up anything personal, so Kagome considered that a relief.

Finally, _finally,_ they were completely finished eating. Kagome's mother was starting to get a little tired, so Kagome became more focused on that.

"I think it's time we head out," Kagome said as she helped her mom out of her chair. Izayoi nodded in understanding.

"Okay, hon," she replied. "Thank you both for coming." Kagome smiled at her and took her mother's arm to lead her to the front door.

"It was good seeing you, Inuyasha," Mana said before they left. "Thanks for having us, Izayoi."

Kagome spared Inuyasha a glance. "Bye."

"Bye, Kagome," he said.

Kagome finally breathed again when she and her mother reached her car.

But then, _of course,_ the universe cursed her.

Kagome groaned as her car refused to start.

"So much for Ol' Reliable," she grumbled before looking at her mom. "The car won't start. I'm gonna take a look under the hood real quick." Mana nodded as Kagome got out of the car.

She popped the hood and took a look at everything. She cursed her lack of knowledge of cars and contemplated asking Inuyasha but wanting to do everything in her power to _not._

"Everything okay?"

Kagome jumped at his voice and turned to see Inuyasha standing a few feet away with concern on his face.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Kagome shook her head. "It's fine. I'm just having a little car trouble."

"Did Ol' Reliable finally give out?" he asked.

Kagome paused and turned to frown at him. "No. It's just having a little problem. It'll be fine."

Inuyasha hesitated before walking a bit closer. "Do you want me to take a look?"

Kagome huffed. "Why? Did some fancy workshop teach you how to fix cars, too?" Inuyasha looked taken aback, and Kagome felt a flash of guilt.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said immediately. "I'm just...tonight was a lot. If you could help, I would appreciate it."

Inuyasha nodded and walked over to inspect under the hood.

Amid the smell of gas and oil, Kagome caught a whiff of Inuyasha's cologne.

It was admittedly pretty nice, but it didn't smell like _him._ Gone was the smell of woods and wind and apples.

She didn't even know him anymore.

"I can fix it," he said a moment later. "But it might take a while. Do you want to take my car to drive your mom home? I can bring your car over later and just bring mine back over from your house."

Kagome hesitated. His car was a literal _sports_ car.

But she didn't want to keep her mom out too late, and one glance told Kagome she was nearly asleep.

"I guess," Kagome conceded. "But I'll just come back here to get it after I get her ready for bed. No need in you making so many trips when it's my car."

Inuyasha nodded. "I'll go grab the keys."

Kagome walked over to the passenger side of the car to rouse her mother.

"Mom?" she said gently. "We're gonna go home now, but in a different car, okay?" Kagome's mother nodded and allowed her daughter to take her hand and pull her out.

Making sure to grab her spare key off her keyring, Kagome slipped it into her pocket and got her mother prepared to go.

By the time Kagome had helped her mother over to the passenger side of the car, Inuyasha had returned with the rental keys.

"Thanks," Kagome said. "I appreciate it." Inuyasha nodded and walked back over to her car to try and fix whatever he figured was wrong with it.

When Kagome got in the car, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

There were so many buttons.

_Is this a car or a freaking rocketship?_

Finally, she managed to start the car, turn the lights on, and back the car out of the driveway.

Kagome knew how to avoid every pothole in the road, but she was still overly-cautious and drove no more than twenty or so at a time.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she arrived at her house.

Her mother had a good day with her dementia, so Kagome felt comfortable enough to leave her home while she slept. It took a little while to get her mother inside and prepared for bed, so when Mana finally lay down with her cellphone next to her in case of an emergency, Kagome bit the bullet and decided she needed to head back to Inuyasha's house.

_Er, Izayoi's house, not Inuyasha's. It hasn't been his house in years…_

Shaking her head, Kagome made sure the door was locked as she closed it behind her.

 _Why do I feel like this is going to be a_ long _night?_

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha cursed as he stubbed his finger again.

As a kid, he used to love helping his dad out with all of their ATVs and lawn care gear, so Inuyasha used to be pretty knowledgeable about what went where and how it went there.

It had lasted until he was a teen, but then his friendship with Kagome turned into something more, and, well…

He got distracted.

Regardless, he knew how to fix the problem; it was just getting the technique correct that was troubling him.

He heard the smooth engine of the Porsche heading toward the house and wasn't surprised when headlights appeared down the road.

Kagome didn't seem too happy when she pulled into the driveway, and Inuyasha couldn't say he blamed her.

All their history aside, Kagome loved her car. It was a living relic of her dad, of her childhood…

Of them.

Inuyasha shook his head and stood up when Kagome got out of the rental.

"Is your mom alright?" he asked as he caught the keys Kagome tossed to him.

She nodded. "Yeah, she went right to sleep. She had a good day, but she gets tired so easily." She sighed. "Sometimes I just think…" She stopped herself, as if she realized who exactly she was talking to, and Inuyasha knew he couldn't blame her.

If someone ripped his heart out like he did to Kagome, he wouldn't want to open up to them either.

"Is the car fixed yet?" she asked, changing the subject. "Or should I see a mechanic tomorrow?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nah, I can fix it. It just might take a while. Are you sure you don't wanna go home and come back tomorrow?"

"No," Kagome replied firmly. "I said I'm fine, so...just don't worry about it. I don't want to have that flashy car in my possession any longer than I need to."

Inuyasha chuckled as he resumed his work under the hood.

"Too fancy for ya?" he teased lightly. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"It has too many buttons," she replied. "Ol' Reliable has, what, the radio and the hazards? One dial for hot or cold? Just my style."

Inuyasha laughed fully, having missed her sharp wit.

"Well, if you think that's too fancy," Inuyasha began, "you would hate New York. It's like a million complex buttons."

"Yeah, I'm sure I would hate it, too."

Inuyasha froze and looked up to see Kagome's eyes glued to the ground.

_Ugh, I'm an idiot._

"Kagome, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't...I didn't mean it like that." Kagome shrugged and kept her eyes averted.

"Whatever, Inuyasha. Just leave it alone."

Inuyasha focused back on what he was doing as an awkward silence enveloped them.

"You can go inside if you want," Inuyasha said. "Mom is probably in bed but you could watch TV or something."

"While you get to have all the fun with Ol' Reliable?" Kagome replied. "Not in your dreams."

Inuyasha felt a pang, and he wondered if she even realized what she said.

_"Come on, Kagome, can't I just drive today?"_

_Kagome held her keys behind her back and shook her head._

_"Nope!" she taunted. "It's my turn."_

_Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and surprised her with a solid kiss on her lips._

_Just like he'd known, she melted against him and returned the kiss as eagerly as always._

_Inuyasha gave himself a few extra lovely moments before pulling back with Kagome's car keys firmly held in his hand._

_"What were you saying about 'your turn?'" he asked innocently. "Looks to me like I'm the one with the keys now."_

_Kagome laughed and tugged him back down to kiss him again._

Inuyasha remembered dropping the keys after that, not caring who got to them first as long as he could kiss Kagome like that every day.

"I'm the one with the keys," Inuyasha reminded her.

Kagome was the first to get a car but Inuyasha was the first to get his license, so they constantly argued on who would drive the car.

It was Kagome's car but Inuyasha had more driving experience, but then again it wasn't his car but Kagome didn't have as much as experience driving, and so on.

It was one big comical circle of chaos until he got his first car several months later. He'd bought it himself so it was old and barely ran, so it only lasted a couple years.

To Inuyasha's surprise, Kagome laughed.

"I bet you miss Ol' Reliable," she said. "What kind of car do you have in the city? A Porsche like the rental? No, let me guess. A Mercedes?"

Inuyasha grimaced, his jovial mood having disappeared again.

"Why does that even matter?" he asked impatiently. "We're talking about your car, not mine."

Kagome shrugged. "I'll just ask Izayoi tomorrow. I'll say, 'Hey, Izayoi. What car did Inuyasha choose over Ol' Reliable? Oh, just curious.'"

Inuyasha chuckled, knowing from experience that she wouldn't hesitate to call his mom on him. Then Izayoi would give him an earful and it would be a whole thing.

Kagome seemed to be warming up to him a little more, but he knew that was about to shatter.

"A Corvette," he admitted. He didn't even bother looking at Kagome to see her reaction. "Anyway, I think I'm almost done with the car."

"I can pay you for the trouble," Kagome said awkwardly. "It's the weekend so I'm sure you weren't expecting to work like this."

Inuyasha paused to look at her.

"Don't be dumb, Ka-go-me," he replied. "It was pretty much partly my car, too, so I've actually been slacking on my car duty."

Kagome laughed. "I guess I can't argue with that. When Dad gave the car to me, I don't think he realized it would be just as much yours, too. I wouldn't let you drive it now, though. The roads have gotten too bad."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed that. I had to drive a lot slower than I expected when I was on my way here."

Kagome scoffed. "Oh, please. I still do like seventy down these roads except for when I was just in your god-mobile. You just gotta adapt and learn where the new potholes form...every single day."

"Has the one out by the pond gotten any worse?" Inuyasha asked as he made a few final fixes. "Even we had to slow down for that one."

Kagome smiled. "Of course it's gotten worse. It's widened to take out nearly half of the road, so it's pretty much one-lane in that part."

"Man, I bet that's crazy," Inuyasha said thoughtfully. "A lot has changed in town. There are more buildings and stuff like that. It's been nice seeing so many trees, though. And less traffic. And less light pollution."

Kagome laughed again. "Yeah, it's different, but it's still home. The heart of it hasn't changed."

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment and nearly gasped when their eyes met.

There it was. A small, very small, sliver of want deep within her blue eyes.

He knew it was in his eyes, too.

But this woman in front of him...he didn't know her. And Kagome didn't know him. She didn't know _New York Inuyasha._

He hated it.

"I haven't really had a chance to cruise around town much," he said as he finished up and closed the hood. "I'm a little scared to scratch up the rental."

Kagome hesitated. "Well, if you wanted me to catch you up on stuff, I could show you around the new places. You fixed my car, so we might as well use it."

Inuyasha briefly wondered if that was a good idea, but he didn't care.

 _I never actually apologized for what happened when I left,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe this can be our closure….or something to make it so she doesn't hate me as much._

"Sure," Inuyasha agreed. "That would be great."

"Everything will be closed," Kagome said. "But we can still just drive around."

Inuyasha nodded. New York was alive during all hours of the day; he'd almost forgotten that pretty much everything in his small town closed before nine.

Inuyasha glanced at his watch and saw that it was a little past eight. Kagome was right: any of the usual places they would have gone would be closed.

He didn't care, though.

"Let's do it," he replied.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome didn't know what came over her when she offered to show Inuyasha around town.

 _I just want him to see that this place didn't stop existing when he left,_ she scolded herself. _I don't want to spend time with him. I just want him to know I haven't been sad about him leaving the whole time._

As Kagome got behind the wheel of Ol' Reliable, she knew she couldn't kid herself.

At the very least, she wanted to know who the new Inuyasha was. She just wanted to find out if he thought _leaving_ was worth it. If he got the _happiness_ he always wanted. If choosing the _career_ over the _girl_ was worth it.

Inuyasha soon joined her in the passenger seat and smiled his readiness.

As Kagome started backing out of the driveway, she heard Inuyasha gasp quietly.

"Man," he breathed. "I forgot about the cassette pocket." Kagome glanced down to her center console and laughed.

The lid of the console had fallen shortly after Kagome had been given the car to permanently reveal the deep storage area. Ol' Reliable didn't have a CD port, so Kagome and Inuyasha stole all of their parents' old cassettes. They'd also become addicted to buying any and all cassette tapes they could find at old music and record stores. Every time they bought one, they added it to the collection and called it their cassette pocket.

Kagome didn't know how, but they managed to listen to every single tape. She couldn't bring herself to take the tapes out, so she'd pretty much trained herself to not look down there when she was in the car.

But now, glancing down at the tapes, she felt the memories return.

"I don't listen to them much," Kagome said flatly as she took off down the road. "They probably don't even work anymore."

Inuyasha began looking through the collection until he picked one he was pleased with.

"Pay attention to the scenery," Kagome said, unsettled by his actions. She had no idea what he was about to turn on. "It's what we're here for."

Inuyasha popped the tape in and grinned at her. "Oh, I think you'll change your mind here in a minute."

Kagome didn't know whether she should laugh or cry when the music started playing.

Of course, _of course,_ Inuyasha put in her favorite Nirvana tape.

Inuyasha chuckled at her mixed reaction. "Are you still most prideful about having lived at the same time as Kurt Cobain?" Kagome rolled her eyes.

 _Of all the stupid things to remember,_ she scoffed silently. _But...well, he's not wrong._

"One year was enough, right?" Inuyasha prodded. Kagome finally shook her head and smiled.

"Yes, fine," she replied. "Of course. Grunge Kagome lives on."

Inuyasha laughed and pulled the cassette out to replace it with a different one.

"Hey!" Kagome protested. "I was listening to that!" Inuyasha paid her no mind.

"We listened to your favorite," he reminded her. "Now it's my turn."

Kagome groaned, knowing what was about to come.

When Inuyasha started singing along to "All the Small Things," Kagome nearly shoved him out of the car.

"Come on, Kagome!" he said over the music. "You know you love Blink-182!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I do love Blink-182. It's you constantly singing this _one_ song that makes me want to rip my hair out."

When they found a website that sold cassette tapes that had been converted from CDs, they'd stocked up. Blink-182 was Inuyasha's favorite, so the tape he'd put on was his only choice when it was his turn to choose the music for a solid _month._

Inuyasha turned the volume up and started singing even louder.

Kagome glanced at him with his head half-hanging out of the window singing at the top of his lungs.

Rolling her own window down, Kagome gave in to the music and started belting the lyrics along with him.

She stepped on the gas pedal and they zoomed forward.

With the wind whipping at her hair and the music playing and Inuyasha singing beside her, Kagome could almost forget how her life had imploded six years earlier, how the man beside her wasn't the one she loved for so long.

She pretended it was just another Saturday night back when they were in high school.

But then the song ended, Inuyasha stopped singing, and Kagome had to break for a stoplight.

Then reality came crashing down.

"I forgot how much I love that song," Inuyasha commented as he dug around the cassette pocket for other tapes. Kagome glanced at him before the light turned green.

When they started moving again, Kagome tried to focus on pointing out the differences in town, not reminiscing on their stupid high school turned college romance.

"They tore down the old bowling alley," she explained as they drove past an empty lot. "It was about two years ago, I think. They had a rat problem and then lost business and had to shut down. Apparently they were gonna build a Walmart, but that never happened."

Inuyasha stared at the grass as they drove past it. "I know we never really went there, but we still _did,_ so to see it gone is...weird."

"This whole night is weird, Inuyasha," Kagome said exasperatedly. "I think weird is just gonna be the overarching theme."

Inuyasha sat back in his seat and set his gaze on her. "You're right." He sighed. "Since I'm here….and we're with each other right now...I think I should actually apologize for what happened."

Kagome adamantly shook her head. "Nope. We are _not_ doing that." She felt Inuyasha's gaze on her.

"Well, clearly you're not over it, so-"

That's when Kagome slammed on the brakes.

Thank god for empty country roads.

"Excuse me?" she shouted, facing him head-on. "What did you just have the absolute audacity to say to me?"

Inuyasha frowned. "That you're not over it. I mean, you've just been really...angry tonight. So...what else am I supposed to think?"

Kagome glared at him. "How about this? You _don't_ think. Don't think about me, don't listen to what your mom says about me, and don't make assumptions about my life. It's been _six_ years. You have no idea who I am now, but I know who _you_ are. You're a materialistic, snobby, rich wannabe who up and left the love of his life without looking back."

With that, Kagome pulled off to the side of the road and got out, needing to just _take a minute._

She grabbed the little box from under her seat before getting out and slamming the car door as she walked down to lean against the trunk.

 _How does it still hurt so much?_ she wondered. _I don't understand why it feels like it just happened yesterday._

She sighed and dropped her head into hand.

_Because our yesterday never got a tomorrow._

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha cursed himself.

 _Stupid!_ he scolded. _Why would you say that?_

He shook his head. He figured bringing it up to talk about it and apologize might be helpful. Kagome had been off the whole night, and Inuyasha figured if he still thought about it every day, Kagome probably did, too. After all, she was the one that had been hurt the most.

Inuyasha groaned and opened his car door to get out. The smell of smoke greeted him as he walked over to Kagome.

She was leaning against the trunk of the car with a lit cigarette in her hand.

Kagome took a deep puff of it before closing her eyes.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said hesitantly. Kagome waved him off.

"Just give me a minute," she replied. "I'll be fine once I finish this."

Inuyasha glanced at the cigarette in her hand. "I thought you quit."

Kagome met his gaze and took a long inhale.

"And how did you know I even started?" she shot back. "Quit asking Izayoi about my life, Inuyasha. It's none of your business."

Inuyasha bit his lip and watched as she continued to smoke.

She was right, of course; he _did_ ask Izayoi about her. Maybe not as much anymore, but at first he did.

Kagome started smoking a few years after he left when taking care of her mom had gotten to be more strenuous.

Izayoi told Inuyasha that Kagome had quit her job to take care of her mother full-time. Kagome had worked hard for her Secondary Education degree, only to have to quit her teaching job three years after graduating from college.

"Kagome, regardless of the stupidity of what I just said," Inuyasha began, "I still want to apologize."

Kagome looked at him and took another drag off the cigarette.

"Alright," she replied curtly. "There's a wide array of things to apologize for, so where are you gonna start? When you abandoned me to go work in the city?"

She laughed humorously. "Oh, wait, I know. How about you start with when you said you regretted ever being with me in the first place?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

But she wasn't wrong.

_Inuyasha's phone rang from where it was sitting on the coffee table in Kagome's living room._

_They were alone in the house after Kagome's parents went grocery shopping._

_He and Kagome were curled up on the couch watching a movie, so he kissed her quickly before taking one arm off of her to answer the phone._

_"Hello?" Inuyasha greeted into the phone._

_"Hello, may I please speak with Mr. Takahashi?"_

_Inuyasha dared himself to hope it was the call he'd been waiting for._

_"This is he," Inuyasha replied._

_"Oh, excellent," the voice on the other line said. "This is Myoga from Tsuki, Inc."_

_Inuyasha's eyes widened as he sat all the way up on the couch._

_"Hello, sir," he replied. "How are you?"_

_"I'm doing well," Myoga said. "I actually have some good news for you…"_

_As Myoga went on about the job offer, Inuyasha felt his future begin to brighten._

_He'd applied for the job in secret, did the phone interview in secret, and was now trying to keep his excitement under wraps with Kagome by his side._

_He wanted to surprise her with the incredible job offer a few towns over. It was about an hour or so of a commute, but Inuyasha didn't care. He'd been waiting to get the call to propose to Kagome._

_Speaking of, he felt Kagome set a hand on his knee, her eyes full of questions. Inuyasha smiled brightly before standing up and going to the kitchen for a little extra privacy._

_With a job like the one with Tsuki, Inc., Inuyasha could take care of Kagome in the absolute best ways possible._

_"Thank you so much, sir," Inuyasha thanked sincerely. "Of course I accept."_

_"Well," Myoga cut in, "you might want to take a few days to think. We absolutely want you for the position, but the location has changed. We would want to place you in New York City."_

_"Oh," Inuyasha replied flatly. "What happened to the other site in Virginia?" Myoga sighed._

_"That job was part of an effort to start a new branch," Myoga explained. "The timing has turned out to not be right for it. Maybe someday, but certainly not now."_

_"Wow," Inuyasha said. "That's...a big difference."_

_"I know," Myoga replied understandingly. "So please take a few days to think about it, and if this is too much of a change, we will most certainly understand. We will keep the position open until we hear back from you."_

_Inuyasha put a hand to his forehead and tried to keep from freaking out._

_"Okay," he finally said. "Thank you. I'll be in touch."_

_Dread started to set in when he ended the call and slipped it into his pocket._

_When he walked back into the living room, Kagome was waiting for him expectantly._

_"You sure sounded happy," she commented brightly. "Who was that?"_

_In that moment, Inuyasha knew his life was about to change._

"I want to apologize for _all_ of it," Inuyasha said to Kagome. "I went about everything so wrong. My biggest regret is how badly I hurt you."

Kagome scoffed and put out the cigarette before pulling another out of the box and lighting it.

"Apparently you didn't regret it enough to apologize sooner," she replied curtly.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I didn't think you'd want to hear from me."

Kagome sucked on the cigarette. "Well, you're right, so I guess it's a lose-lose situation for me."  
They fell into an awkward silence in which the only sounds were Kagome breathing out the smoke.

"This was a bad idea," she said as she finished the last of her second cigarette. "I don't know why I suggested we do this."

As Inuyasha watched her put out the cigarette, he realized that she was completely different from the woman he remembered.

She wasn't the happy girl he'd loved as a teen.

She wasn't the girl he'd ride with to the college they both attended thirty minutes away.

She wasn't his Kagome.

And Inuyasha didn't know how to feel about that.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome coughed a few times after her second cigarette, not used to the smoke after quitting a year prior.

But she needed to calm her nerves, and that was the only way she could think of. It was the reason why she kept a spare pack under the driver's seat of her car.

She just never thought she'd need a smoke from seeing Inuyasha.

Kagome knew he was right, though. They probably _did_ need to talk about what had happened. She'd never been able to find peace with it, so maybe finally hearing him apologize would help.

But he'd hurt her so badly…

_"So who was it?" Kagome asked after Inuyasha had practically jumped up after receiving a phone call. He'd seemed excited when he answered, but his face was getting more and more somber as he walked toward her on the couch._

_She knew something was wrong when he sat down next to her and took her hand._

_"I did something, sweetheart," he began, "without telling you because I thought it would be a great surprise." He sighed. "But now...I don't think it's gonna be all that great to tell you."_

_Kagome squeezed his hand. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."_

_Inuyasha paused for a moment before he finally looked at her._

_"That was a guy from Tsuki, Inc.," Inuyasha explained. "He offered me a job."_

_Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha, that's wonderful! That's your dream company! I'm so proud of you! Wow, I didn't even know they had any locations near here."_

_Inuyasha shook his head. "They don't. They were planning on it, but I just found out on that phone call that they changed the location. It's...kinda far."_

_Kagome's smile faded. "How far is 'kinda?'"_

_This was it. The moment her life changed._

_"New York City," Inuyasha replied flatly. Kagome's heart stopped._

_The fact that Inuyasha was telling her this meant he was seriously considering it, and she began to worry about what that meant for their future. She wasn't sure she was made for city life, but she would follow him anywhere._

_"Okay," she said calmly. "New York...that's alright. We'll just move there together. It'll all be okay."_

_Inuyasha seemed surprised. "Kagome, New York City is different than rural southern-Virginia. You've always said you hate big cities." Kagome shrugged._

_"Well, I love you," she insisted. "So...I'll adjust. I'll find a teaching job there. This is your dream, Inuyasha. It's what you worked so hard for in college. Besides, we don't have to live in the city, right? Maybe we can live in the suburbs outside of it."_

_Inuyasha groaned and stood up. "Kagome, you would be miserable anywhere near New York. I just know it. Then the more you hated New York, the more you would start to hate me."_

_Kagome stood up and frowned at him. "How could you possibly think I would ever hate you? Relationships are about compromise. I'm more than willing to compromise if it means you get the job you've always wanted. I can find a teaching job anywhere. To work at Tsuki, Inc….that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."_

_She laughed. "And not to sound greedy, but I'm sure you'll make more than enough money that we can come visit often. I might come a few times a month to see Mom and make sure she's doing alright if that's okay."_

_Inuyasha looked at her and put his hands on her shoulders._

_"Kagome," he said seriously. "I'm not going to take you somewhere you don't want to be."_

_Kagome wrapped her arms around his torso and lay her head on his chest._

_"Okay, sweetheart," she finally conceded. "I feel bad you won't take the job, but I'll help you look for something closer."_

_"No," Inuyasha countered. "I'm still taking the job. I just...I think it would be best if you stayed here."_

_Kagome froze against him. Slowly, she pulled away to look up into his eyes._

_"I...what?"_

_Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't think you should go with me."_

_Kagome frowned. "Alright...long-distance might be hard, but we can do it."_

_Inuyasha shook his head again and dropped his hands from her._

_"This is gonna sound crazy," he began, "but I think we should break up."_

_Kagome gasped. "What? Why?" Inuyasha went and sat back down on the couch._

_"Trying to keep this going while I'm adjusting to a new city and a new job is going to be harder than anything we've ever done. Maybe we can see how things are once I'm settled, but for now, I think we just need to break up."_

_"We've literally been planning our wedding since we were teenagers," Kagome replied. "We have a life planned together, Inuyasha. How can you just...brush it off?"_

_"I'm not brushing it off," Inuyasha retorted. "I'm just saying we need to maybe put it on hold for now."_

_"You know what," Kagome began, "I'm willing to make it work. I'm willing to come visit you and make time to talk whenever you're able to. I want the life we planned together. I can't believe you don't even want to try."_

_"Don't make this harder than it already is, Kagome," Inuyasha pleaded._

_Kagome shook her head. "You know what, Inuyasha? Maybe it's wrong of me to say this, but you have just turned this into a choice. It's either the job or me."_

_Inuyasha was silent. He didn't even need to speak; Kagome already knew the answer._

_"I see," she said silently. "So the last six years mean nothing to you?"_

_Inuyasha groaned loudly. "Of course they did! Kagome, I need to go. I need to be able to work and live without being held down."_

_Kagome took a step back like he'd striked her. "You think I'm holding you down?"_

_Inuyasha sighed. "That's not what I meant, but...maybe a little. You're meant for a small town. You're meant to have a life in the country. I'm not."_

_"Get out of my house," Kagome demanded._

_Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kagome, don't-"_

_"Leave, Inuyasha!" she said louder. "Go to your city and live your stupid city life that's more important than me."_

_Inuyasha practically growled. "Fine, I will go! If this is how you act when there's a bump in the road, I regret ever even getting involved with you in the first place!"_

_Kagome's anger disappeared and was replaced by shock._

_"You don't mean that," she said quietly. "Take it back."_

_Inuyasha began walking over to the door._

_"It doesn't matter now, does it?"_

_The words were barely out of his mouth when he left._

Now he was with her six years later, and all the hurt from their break-up was swirling through Kagome's heart again.

"My mom's dementia is getting worse," Kagome said. "She has moments when she's aware, but those are starting to become less and less often. The only thing you were right about was that I shouldn't be in the city. I needed to be here taking care of my mom."

"Maybe things worked out how they were meant to," Inuyasha replied quietly. "Maybe we just weren't destined to be together in the end."

Kagome scoffed. "I never believed that for a second. You were the love of my life, Inuyasha. We were destined to be together. You just decided to go against it. Now we'll never get a chance to right that wrong." She shook her head. "That massive mistake. I should've fought harder. I should've...I should've done more."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. I shouldn't have gone, especially after the things I said to you. I just want you to know that I'm sorry…I am so sorry, Kagome."  
For the first time that night, tears started to form in Kagome's eyes.

"I wish it weren't too late for apologies," she whispered. "If you would have come back a few days later, even a _year_ later, maybe we could've gotten back to where we were. But now...that's impossible. Our chapter has ended."

Inuyasha shifted his gaze to the ground as they fell into a silence.

Kagome sighed and pulled another cigarette out of the pack. She offered the pack to Inuyasha, motioning for him to take one.

"I've never smoked before," Inuyasha said. Kagome took a cigarette out and handed it to him.

"Now's as good a time as ever to try it, then." Inuyasha took the cigarette she offered and put it in his mouth.

Kagome took a moment to light her cigarette before lighting Inuyasha's.

When he immediately started coughing after his first puff, Kagome laughed.

"I should've warned you," she admitted. "It's hard at first." Inuyasha coughed again before handing the lit cigarette to Kagome.

"Uh-uh," Kagome denied. "You start it, you finish it. That's the rule."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I've never heard that rule before."

"You've also never smoked before," Kagome pointed out. "Now finish it."

Inuyasha stared wearily at the cigarette before taking another drag. After a few moments, it started getting easier, but Kagome could tell he had quickly decided that he hated smoking.

"It's a bad habit, though," Kagome said. "Don't get hooked."

Inuyasha coughed once more. "Believe me, I won't."

They finished their cigarettes in silence until Kagome finally decided it was time to get home.

It was late into the night, which Kagome hadn't realized. She didn't want to leave her mother alone too long, even if she was asleep.

"I need to get home," Kagome said as she tossed the cigarette butt onto the ground and put it out with her shoe. "I don't like being away from Mom for too long."

Inuyasha nodded and followed suit.

Once they were in the car and she'd start Ol' Reliable up, she drove off in the direction of Inuyasha's house to drop him off.

She drove at her usual fast pace, but she stayed silent. She didn't have anything left to say to Inuyasha, and she figured he didn't have anything left to say to her.

When she pulled into Izayoi's driveway, Inuyasha didn't get out right away.

"It's strange," he began slowly. "This is the first time we'll have an actual goodbye before I leave for the city."

Kagome chuckled humorlessly. "What a nice surprise."

Inuyasha turned to look at her, and the intensity in his golden eyes lit a fire in her heart.

"Will you let me kiss you goodbye?" he asked softly. "Just one more time?"

Kagome wanted to punch him. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to tell him to get out of her car and never speak to her again.

But she didn't.

"Yes."

Inuyasha cupped her cheeks in his hands like he always used to, and the feel of his lips against hers felt like a welcome from an old friend.

Memories of the years they'd spent so wholeheartedly in love with each other assaulted Kagome's mind.

When Inuyasha deepened the kiss, Kagome wondered how she would ever let him stop kissing her. She never wanted to stop. She didn't want to let him go.

It felt like a piece of her soul was ripped away when they parted. Inuyasha kept his face close to hers as he searched her eyes.

"That was nice," Kagome murmured. "Familiar."

Inuyasha nodded, their noses brushing as the movement.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I missed you, Kagome. Maybe that's not fair to say, but I did."

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes. "I missed you, too. What you said to me...it hurt. It wrecked my heart, but it never kept me from missing you." She reached up her hand to set it on Inuyasha's cheek.

"But we don't know each other anymore," she continued quietly. "We're completely different people from who we were when we were twenty-two. So when you just said goodbye...that really was goodbye."

Inuyasha nodded his understanding before pulling completely away from her. He got out of the car silently. Before he closed the door, he leaned down to look at Kagome.

"Thanks for showing me around," he said. "It was a night I won't ever forget."

Kagome half-smiled. "Same here."

Inuyasha closed the door and made his way to his front door.

When it closed behind him and the porch light turned off, the tears poured from Kagome's eyes.

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha rolled over and looked out the window.

His penthouse apartment had an amazing view, and the master bedroom had a large window that overlooked the city. It was what he saw every night before he went to sleep and every morning when he woke up.

He'd woken up about thirty minutes before his alarm, which didn't surprise him.

Ever since he'd gotten home a week ago, he hadn't been sleeping well. Despite the closure he'd gotten with Kagome, she was still on his mind more than ever.

Inuyasha wondered what she was doing right then.

It's not even _six in the morning,_ he reminded himself. _She's probably still asleep._

He spent the remaining thirty minutes laying in bed, trying and failing to focus on something else.

It didn't work.

o.O.o

On his way home from work, Inuyasha called his mother like always.

"Hi, honey," she chirped when she answered the phone. "How was work?"

"Busy as always," he replied. "But it was fine."

Izayoi hummed. "Kagome and Mana came over this afternoon. We had a nice lunch together."

Inuyasha tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"That's nice," he lied, trying to hide his jealousy. Izayoi seemed to hesitate.

"Don't be mad," she warned, "but I let Kagome go up to your room."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "What? Why would you let her do that, Mom?"

Izayoi shushed him. "Oh, relax. She hasn't been up there since you left. When I asked her why she went up there, she just said you had an old shirt of hers in your closet. Apparently the time you spent together reminded her of it."

Inuyasha relaxed. "That's not a big deal. I'm glad she found it."

Izayoi was quiet for a moment. "Do you still not want to talk about it? A mother has great intuition and gives excellent advice."

"I don't know, Mom," Inuyasha replied. "We got the closure we needed, and that's it. Our chapter together is over."

"Honey," Izayoi began, "you don't get a chance like this very often. Even if you two are never together again, you can at least reclaim an old _friendship._ You two loved each other since you were kids. It wasn't until later that it ran deeper. Why not try and get that back?"

Inuyasha pondered her words and wondered if that was such a good idea.

"Inuyasha," his mother said seriously. "Kagome takes care of her mother and speaks with me on the phone a couple times a week. Other than that, she has no one. She's never said it to me, but I think she's lonely. Who better to make her feel less alone than her childhood best friend?"

Inuyasha sighed. "I'll think about it, but don't get your hopes up."

He could practically _see_ Izayoi smiling. "Okay, dear. Now let me tell you about the rabbit that

keeps eating the vegetables I'm trying to grow in my garden…"

o.O.o

Later that night, when Inuyasha was washing his dishes from the quick dinner he'd whipped up after work, his phone pinged with a text from his mother.

**Just in case you decided to stop thinking and start doing :) Love you!**

Attached to that text was a contact she'd shared with him.

**Kagome Higurashi.**

Inuyasha didn't need the contact from his mother; he still remembered Kagome's phone number.

He thought back to what his mother said and mulled over it as he finished the dishes.

Finally, he grabbed his phone and tried to figure out what to do.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome had just gotten her mother settled when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.

Ignoring it for now, she smiled at her mother all tucked up in her bed.

"Do you need anything else?" Kagome asked. Mana shook her head.

"No," she replied. "Thank you, dear."

"Good night," Kagome said as she turned the light off.

"Good night," Mana replied before Kagome left the room.

Kagome took a deep breath and went downstairs to plop down on the couch.

It had been a tough day with her mom. She'd been having little memory and focus spells sporadically throughout the day, which had led to a lot of frustration on her part. It had taken all of Kagome's energy to keep her mother calm, and now that she was sitting down, she was really starting to feel how tired she was.

But she would never complain. She just wanted her mother to be taken care of.

Remembering that her phone had vibrated, Kagome pulled it out to see a text from an unsaved phone number.

Her heart flipped. She recognized that number. She had deleted it from her phone but not from her heart.

**Hey, Kagome. It's Inuyasha. Just wanted to say hi and that I hope you're doing well today.**

Kagome stared at the message in shock.

"What the heck," she muttered to herself.

She wondered if this would be just a one-time thing.

She found herself hoping it wasn't.

**Hi, thanks. You, too.**

After she hit send, she locked her phone and set it on the coffee table before pulling a pillow from beside her.

She put it over her face and screamed into it, feeling like an angry teenager.

Of all days to text her, he'd done it on that day, when she was absolutely drained and, in all honesty, lonelier than usual.

After ten minutes without a response from Inuyasha, she brushed it off as a fluke and got up to go get ready for bed.

_And that's the end of that._

She was very wrong.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Inuyasha had texted her several more times. It was typically just a basic pleasantry or a question of how her day was.

It never went beyond that, which was just fine with Kagome.

She honestly enjoyed their short conversations. Reading his words made her think of how it would sound for him to say it, which she knew was odd but couldn't bring herself to care about.

Eventually, she figured it was only fair for her to text first rather than him always doing it.

It was like a routine: he would be the first to text and she would be the last.

But maybe now was a good time to change that routine.

Kagome took a deep breath as she typed out the text.

**Hi, I hope you had a nice day. I'm going to help your mom with her rabbit problem tomorrow. Wish me luck.**

Her phone pinged a moment later with a response from Inuyasha.

**Hey, I hope you had a nice day, too. Yikes, that's gonna be tough. Good luck. How are you going to do it?**

They went back and forth for a little while about what the best plan of action would be.

Then it turned into joking about what the dumbest plan of action would be, and that hopefully it wasn't a cursed rabbit by which Kagome was doomed to be haunted if harm came to it.

Kagome was actually chuckling out loud at the conversation until she let it end a little while later.

She set the phone on her nightstand and curled up under the covers to try and get some sleep.

Her dreams were filled with the golden eyes of the man on the other end of the phone.

O.o.O.o.O

"Mr. Takahashi, your four o'clock appointment is here."

Inuyasha nodded at his assistant. "Thank you, Sango. You can send them in."

He'd hired Sango about a year ago when his workload became heavier. She had a great vibe and was hardworking, so he'd hired her on the spot. She'd actually become a good friend of his, to the point that it was always odd to hear her call him "Mr. Takahashi." She only did it at work to be professional, but it was still weird.

Sango reminded him of Kagome a bit, and he sometimes wondered if they would get along if they met.

Speaking of Kagome…

He forgot that she'd sent him a text earlier. He'd been too busy to check it, but now he had a moment before his meeting.

They never texted during the day; it was always late evening.

Pulling out his phone, he saw that she'd sent him a photo.

Inuyasha had to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle the laughter.

Apparently his mother's rabbit problem was a common occurrence. They thought the rabbit had mated with another rabbit and created a large population of garden-destroying pests.

The photo was of Izayoi running after a group of rabbits, a shovel held high above her head as she aimed for the little critters.

Kagome had put a quick message underneath the photo.

**She's using fear to drive them away.**

Inuyasha replied with a few laughing emojis before the person with whom he was meeting entered his office.

He and Kagome texted on and off for the rest of the day, and as the next several weeks went on, their texting patterns turned to more consistent sporadic texts throughout the entire day, rather than just quick conversations at night.

It was odd texting Kagome; when they were dating, they only texted when absolutely necessary because they always preferred to speak to each other on the phone. Hearing the voice of one another was more personable and preferable to simply reading the words.

In a way, Inuyasha figured it was a symbol of this new...whatever it was beginning between them. They weren't friends, not quite, but they'd become a little more than acquaintances.

And Inuyasha missed her.

He missed seeing her and hearing her voice. He missed seeing the more adult features of her face, including the worry lines he was dying to smooth out with his fingers.

He missed the taste of her kiss and the nostalgia he'd felt when he touched her.

Inuyasha wanted her, but he didn't know in what way.

 _It's not like I'm ever gonna see her again anyway,_ he realized. _This is just a casual back-and-forth between old...friends._

He smiled.

_But maybe that's alright for now._

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The type of dementia Kagome's mother has is called "lewy body dementia." I got my information from the CDC website, and I have also taken college courses that went over this topic, so it's accurate as I can possibly make it.


	2. Convergence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: difficult hospital scenes to read. Please feel free to send me a PM if you want directions on how to avoid it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

**From the Delta: Part II, Convergence**

Inuyasha jolted awake when the sound of his phone rang out through the room.

Glancing at his phone, he saw that it was three in the morning and his mother was calling him.

He answered quickly; his mother never called later than ten at night or earlier than six in the morning.

"Mom?" he said instantly. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Hi, honey," his mother replied, her voice laced with worry. "I'm sorry to wake you up."

Inuyasha sat up in his bed and frowned. "It's totally fine. What happened?"

Izayoi sighed. "Mana fell last night and got really hurt. She's in the hospital now and Kagome is with her. I'm on my way there to be with them."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "What? Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know," Izayoi admitted. "She fell down the entire flight of stairs at their house and hit her head before she went unconscious. There was intense swelling in her brain so they put her into a coma to help her recover easier."

Inuyasha's blood went cold. "Is Kagome okay?"

"No," Izayoi replied honestly. "She was an absolute mess when she called me. It's very bad, Inuyasha. They don't know if she's going to make it."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I can't believe it."

"Kagome said Mana was having a rough evening," Izayoi explained. "She kept wanting to go outside and water the tomato plants, which they haven't had in several years. Kagome said she finally got her settled and to sleep. She thinks that's why Mana got up in the first place, to go try and find the plants."

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "That's awful. Let me know if I can do anything. I'm not sure what I could do, but…"

"Kagome has seemed to be happier lately," Izayoi replied. "She mentioned you all have been texting and that she felt like she had a friend for the first time in years. I think just you letting her know you're there for her would be enough. This is going to be a very tough time for her."

He and his mother talked for a little while longer before she said she had arrived at the hospital. When they ended the call, Inuyasha just stared at his phone.

 _I can't believe it,_ he thought to himself. _Kagome is going to be devastated if she loses her mom._

Inuyasha opened his Messages app and typed out a text.

**Hey, Mom just told me what happened. I'm so sorry. If you need anything, I'm here for you.**

Twenty minutes passed without a response from her, so Inuyasha figured she was still with her mom.

_I hope Mana will be alright. I don't know how Kagome will get through it if she isn't._

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome held her mother's hand tightly as she spent the third hour in a row staring at her to see if she would move.

Kagome had woken up to a scream and a loud thump on the hardwood floors, and when she jumped up to see what had happened, Kagome found her mother in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

There had been a lot of blood from a gash on the side of Mana's head.

"Mom!" Kagome screamed as she ran to her side. She didn't move her for fear of jostling any injuries. "Mom, can you hear me?"

Mana groaned. "The tomatoes. I need the tomatoes."

When she lost consciousness, Kagome hurried over to grab the house phone before dialing the emergency number.

Mana didn't wake up when the paramedics arrived, or when she was taken into the hospital, or when they did a CT scan. She lay motionless the entire time as they stitched up the wound on her head and got her settled in a room.

When they explained their course of action and mentioned a coma, Kagome lost it.

She kept her cries quiet but couldn't keep her shoulders from shaking with her silent sobs.

"Is there anyone that can come be with you?" a doctor asked gently.

Kagome wiped her eyes and pulled out her phone. "I can dial our friend."

Izayoi answered the phone on the second ring, and Kagome could tell her maternal instincts had kicked in as soon as she answered.

When Izayoi arrived, a fresh wave of tears hit her as she walked straight into the waiting embrace of the older woman.

"It's gonna be okay, honey," Izayoi comforted. "Everything is gonna be alright."

o.O.o

Kagome didn't remember falling asleep until a gentle hand was tapping her shoulder to rouse her.

She opened her eyes and tried to blearily orient herself on what was happening.

"Ms. Higurashi," the doctor said, "I'm sorry to wake you, but we need to update you." Kagome sat straight up in the chair and rubbed her eyes to wake herself up a bit more.

"Yes, how is she?"

"I'm so sorry," the doctor replied. "We've done everything in our power to help her, but we don't expect that she will wake up from the coma."

Kagome's eyes widened. "But...I thought the coma was supposed to help."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, and it did, but there was too much damage to her brain. The medically-induced coma is what has kept her alive this long. I'm so sorry, but I have paperwork here for you to decide if you want us to let her pass or keep her on life support."

Kagome took the paperwork from the doctor and started to read it, but the words blurred as her eyes filled with tears.

"You don't think she'll ever wake up?" she asked in a wavering voice.

The doctor hesitated. "It is highly, highly unlikely. Even if she did regain consciousness, there's no telling what her state of mind might be. The brain damage could increase her dementia symptoms and episodes as well. You can wait a few days to decide. We'll keep her here on the machines until you make your decision."

Kagome nodded. "Where's Izayoi?"

"She's in the restroom," the doctor replied. "I can repeat what I've told you to her when she returns if that would help."

Kagome shook her head. "Thank you, but I can tell her. I appreciate your help." The doctor nodded.

"Please don't hesitate to hit the call button if you need a nurse. I'll leave the paperwork here."

When Izayoi returned, Kagome burst into tears again.

Repeating what the doctor said only made it worse.

o.O.o

"I brought you a sandwich."

Kagome smiled weakly at Izayoi, who had just returned from the hospital's cafeteria with a small dinner.

"Thank you," Kagome replied as she took the sandwich. Her stomach growled at the sight of food; she hadn't realized how hungry she was.

Kagome had spent all day at the hospital, not leaving her mother's side unless absolutely necessary. She had no idea what she was going to do. Izayoi was the closest thing to family she had left.

_Wait...that's not quite true anymore…_

Kagome pulled out her phone to open the most recent text she'd received from Inuyasha. She'd seen the notification earlier that day when things had quieted down a bit, but she hadn't gotten a chance to read it.

Opening the text, she felt tears start to form in her eyes.

**Thank you. I appreciate it.**

She locked her phone and slipped it back in her pocket to eat her sandwich.

"Kagome, do you want to head home to rest?" Izayoi asked. "I'll stay here with Mana."

Kagome didn't hesitate to shake her head. "No, but thank you."

Izayoi put a hand on Kagome's arm. "I know you're tired, honey."

Kagome looked away. "I didn't get to clean up the floor before we left. There's still…"

She could tell Izayoi knew what she meant.

Kagome didn't want to see the pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're more than welcome to stay at my house," Izayoi offered. "It might be good to be away when you're making this decision."

Kagome mulled over the offer for a moment.

"Okay," she finally agreed. "You might be right." Izayoi smiled.

"Take a shower and have a nap," she suggested kindly. "I'm sure it'll help you."

Kagome nodded and got up to gather her purse. She kissed her mom on the forehead before hugging Izayoi quickly.

She still had a house key for the Takahashi residence that she'd never really had the heart to return. She was just grateful her relationship with Izayoi had remained intact after the carnage between her and Inuyasha.

"Do you need to borrow my car?" Izayoi asked.

Kagome shook her head. "I followed the ambulance in mine, so I'm fine."

When Kagome finally left, she used one hand to eat her sandwich while she used the other one to grip the steering wheel. She was famished and devoured the food in just a few bites.

By the time she reached the Izayoi's house, she was definitely ready for a shower. The distinct odor of _hospital_ clung to her skin, and a piping hot shower was definitely necessary. She could practically feel the water rushing over her already.

The shower definitely helped.

When she'd finished, she wrapped her hair in a towel and paused.

Her clothes were dirty and she didn't have any extra to wear.

_I could wear something of Izayoi's or…_

The temptation was too great, so she went to Inuyasha's room.

Luckily, she'd come to retrieve an old shirt the other day so stepping into his room wasn't as much of a shock as it had been the recent time. She'd cried a little while when she was looking for the shirt. It was just an old Blink-182 band shirt Inuyasha had gotten for her when she turned seventeen. He had a matching one, and to Kagome's unexpected disappointment, she found both of them in his closet when she'd looked for hers.

Being in his room still hit her hard in the chest when she entered, but she tried to not think about it too much.

She dug through his dresser, remembering that he'd left most of his clothes in there.

She dug through the top drawer which had just held a few extra socks and several pairs of boxers.

 _Why would he have left these?_ she wondered. _Why wouldn't he take all of his socks and underwear?_

She rolled her eyes. She hadn't bothered to look through the drawer when she came looking for the t-shirt, so she went ahead and dug around to see if there was an old pair of sweats or something else she could wear.

Kagome's fingers brushed against something small and hard in a single sock in the drawer. Frowning, she pulled the sock out to inspect its contents.

Upon seeing the small velvet box hiding in the fabric, Kagome gasped.

A ring box.

With an engagement ring inside it.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

 _He was going to propose,_ Kagome realized. _Probably after he got the job…_

Turns out the job was what wound up destroying them.

Kagome shook her head and put it back in the sock before shoving it in the drawer. She was definitely _not_ going to think about that.

Eventually, she found an old t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts in the dresser. She took a whiff of them quickly; they smelled fine, if not just a little old, so she slipped them on and called it a day.

She went downstairs to grab her purse and phone to text Izayoi.

**Everything okay there?**

A moment later, Izayoi responded.

**Still the same. Take your time coming back. No rush, honey.**

Kagome put her phone in her purse before stretching out on the couch. There was a little throw blanket slung over the back of it. She pulled that over her and curled up under the warmth it offered.

She had just drifted off to sleep when her phone started ringing.

Thinking it was the hospital, she didn't even bother checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kagome."

Kagome froze.

"Inuyasha, hi. Um, how are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "I was just calling to check and see how you're doing."

Kagome's eyes widened and her thoughts shot to the ring box she'd found.

_Nope. We're not thinking about that right now, not ever._

"I'm okay," Kagome said. "Izayoi is with my mom at the hospital right now. I left to shower and rest a little."

"Oh, that's good to hear," he said. "Is your mom doing alright?"

Kagome's eyes drifted to the papers she'd tossed onto the coffee table. She felt her throat start to tighten, but she held her emotions back.

"It's not looking good. I'm the one that has to...make the call."

"Oh, man," Inuyasha said. "I'm so sorry, Kagome. Is there anything I can do?"

Kagome paused.

"What would you do?" she blurted. "If you were me, what would you do?"

"I can't make that decision for you," Inuyasha replied. "That has to be what you think is best."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I know that. I just meant, well... _objectively,_ what would be going through your head right now?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment.

"I would listen to the doctors," he began slowly, "and think about what they believe the outcomes could be. I would also listen to my gut, my instincts. Even if my gut seems confused, I know that I'd be able to figure it out."

Kagome nodded, knowing full well he couldn't see her.

"Yeah," she said flatly. "Maybe I could...talk it out with you? If you have time. I mean, I know you must be busy with work and all that…"

"Kagome," Inuyasha said seriously. "I'm here for you. Nothing else matters right now. If talking it out is what is going to help you, I'm all for it."

The familiar supportive spiel reminded Kagome of years past, and as she looked down at the clothes she was wearing, she wondered if she was crazy for even telling him any of this.

But she swiftly moved past her hesitation and filled him in on everything.

There was a lot of stuff he didn't know; Kagome knew he'd heard everything from Izayoi, and Izayoi definitely didn't know the full extent of everything.

Inuyasha cursed softly when Kagome finished explaining the situation. "That's...a mess. Mom told me some stuff, but I didn't realize it was that bad, especially after seeing her when I was back home."

Kagome sighed. "She was having a good day. There are good ones and there are bad ones. Yesterday was a bad one, and if I had just tried harder to comfort her about those tomato plants that we haven't even had in such a long time…"

Kagome's voice cracked as she dissolved into tears.

Everything in her life had just gone so _wrong._

Inuyasha didn't say anything. He was quiet and let her cry herself out. When her soft sobs turned to sporadic sniffles, he spoke again.

"Maybe I could come down for a few days," Inuyasha suggested cautiously. "In case you need a friend other than my mom…?"

Kagome wiped her nose and got up off the couch to walk to the kitchen.

"You were just in town," Kagome replied. "Won't it be too hard to get any days off?"

"Uh, well, I…" Inuyasha's stuttered words were laced with nervousness. "I could move some things around."

Kagome grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the sink. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll be okay for now. I just hope your mom doesn't mind if I raid the fridge."

"Are you at her house?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied as she opened the refrigerator door. "I'm crashing on her couch."

"There's a guest room, Kagome," Inuyasha pointed out. "You could sleep in an actual bed."

"I've never liked the bed in that room," she reminded him. "It always makes my back hurt. Remember when I slept in it when I was, like, seven and I was walking around like an old lady for the rest of the day?" Inuyasha chuckled.

"Oh, I remember," he replied. "But really. If you want, you could sleep in my bed-er, my old bed. I changed the sheets when I was there so they're fresh."

Kagome blushed. "Maybe...thanks for the offer."

"Sure thing," Inuyasha replied. "Well, I'll let you go. Keep me posted, though, if it's not too much trouble."

"I will," Kagome assured him. "Thank you for checking on me, Inuyasha. I appreciate it."

She could practically see his kind smile through the phone. "Of course. I'll talk to you soon."

When she ended the call, Kagome sighed and grabbed a cheese stick from the fridge before going back over to the couch. Truth be told, the couch wasn't much more comfortable than the guest room bed.

She paused for a moment. _I mean, he offered, so…_

Kagome grabbed the papers, her cheese stick, and her purse before going upstairs. Entering Inuyasha's room for the second time that night felt like the first all over again.

She sat down on the edge of the mattress and ran her hand over the black duvet.

She remembered his vast array of different comforters over the years.

Dinosaurs, ninjas, superheroes, and then finally simple red sheets. Kagome had found him a comforter with the Blink-182 insignia on it for his twentieth birthday and he'd kept it on display there.

Kagome hadn't seen that comforter in his closet or anywhere else around his room, so she figured he either threw it away or took it with him to New York.

She wasn't sure which one hurt more.

She lay down and got under the blanket. She checked her phone a final time before tucking it in her purse and pulling the papers out again.

Kagome pondered what Inuyasha had said and tried to think about the situation from that objective angle.

 _Mom was so frustrated with her dementia,_ Kagome mused. _She always felt so limited. If she somehow does wake up by the slightest chance, she'll most likely be even more limited than before. She would hate that._

Kagome set the papers down and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

She went to turn the lamp off beside her until she paused at the sight of a photo on the nightstand.

"Wow," she breathed out loud.

 _Inuyasha framed this photo years ago,_ she thought to herself. _It's been, what, twelve years since we took it?_

Kagome sighed and turned the lamp off before turning away from the photo.

_Those two teens in love would have never believed they'd end up here..._

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha's phone rang on his desk beside him.

He scrambled to answer it as soon as he saw Kagome's contact show on the screen.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Inuyasha," she greeted. "Um, are you busy?"

"No," Inuyasha replied. "I'm between meetings. Are you alright?"

"Well...not really. I made a decision about my mom."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Okay, what did you decide?"

Kagome sniffled on the other end. "I'm going to let her go. I think that's what would be best for her. They're taking her off the machines tomorrow morning."

Inuyasha started packing up his things quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome," he said as he grabbed his work bag and put all the stuff he would need in it. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, we're alright," Kagome replied. "We're not having a memorial service or anything like that. I'm going to have her cremated. It's just...too much to plan a service. Besides, it would just be Izayoi and me. We're not really close to anyone else in town anymore."

Inuyasha paged Sango to come to his office.

Kagome sighed. "There's a lot to do, though. I have to figure out what to do about the house...I'll have to get a new job...my mind is just going crazy right now. Your mom has been nice enough to let me stay at her house instead of having to go home and see...everything."

"I'm here for you, whatever you need. Just let me know, okay?"

"I will," Kagome replied. "Thanks, Inuyasha. I figured you would want to know what was happening and...well, it's nice to be able to talk it out a little."

Sango entered the room then, so Inuyasha went ahead and started to end the call.

"Well, I'll let you go," Inuyasha said. "Keep me posted, though, alright?"

"Okay."

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, Inuyasha."

"Bye, Kagome."

Sango's eyes were wide when Inuyasha ended the call and turned to her.

"Kagome?" Sango repeated. "As in... _Kagome?"_

Inuyasha frowned. He'd told Sango the bare minimum about Kagome one night when he'd had a few too many drinks during a game night with Sango and her husband, Miroku. Sango hadn't pressed him for more info, but she knew that it was a tough situation with Kagome.

"It's a long story," Inuyasha replied. "I need to go back home again. I know I was just there, but there's an emergency."

Sango nodded. "Alright, I'll get everything rescheduled for you."

Inuyasha set his bag on the desk beside him and pulled up a new internet browser tab on his computer. "Thank you. I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry that it's so last-minute." Sango waved off his concern.

"It's what I'm here for," she assured him. "Do you want me to book you a flight?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"I'll take care of it," he replied. "Thank you."

Inuyasha looked up the earliest flight to Virginia and found one set to take off at five that evening.

He would get back home rather late in the night since he'd have to drive the hour into the small town after landing at the airport.

He wasted no time in booking the flight and rushing home to pack his stuff.

Inuyasha didn't know how long he'd be there, so he looked at the very bottom of his closet and found several pairs of old jeans and t-shirts that he tossed into a carry-on bag.

Once he'd gotten completely packed, he made it to the airport in record time.

When he was waiting to board the plane, he called his mother.

"Hi, honey," Izayoi said. "I was just about to call you."

"Kagome already told me," Inuyasha replied. "I'm about to get on a plane to come down there."

"What?" Izayoi asked incredulously. "Why?"

"You and Kagome are gonna need me," Inuyasha explained. "I never take off work, so it'll be fine."

Izayoi sighed. "Okay, honey. When will you be here?"

"Late," Inuyasha replied. "I'll have to get another rental car and drive from the airport into town. I'll wake you up when I get home."

When they ended the call, Inuyasha took a deep breath and continued to wait for his flight to board.

o.O.o

Inuyasha sped down the highway driving as fast as he dared. He didn't make the same mistake as last time; instead of renting a pricey car, he'd just picked a simple Toyota sedan.

It felt like days had passed by the time he reached his house. When he walked in, he found his mom asleep on the couch.

He patted her gently on the shoulder to rouse her.

"Hi, honey," Izayoi greeted sleepily as she sat up to hug him. "I'm heading to the hospital around seven. Kagome said the doctors mentioned they'd be by a little after eight."

Inuyasha nodded. "Let's get some rest then. It's really late."

They parted ways at the top of the steps as Izayoi went to her bedroom and Inuyasha went to his. He tossed his bag onto the unmade bed and paused.

Unmade?

He frowned. _I made the bed up with fresh sheets last time I was here. Did Mom sleep in here?_

Then he remembered that he'd told Kagome she could sleep in there.

Inuyasha stripped the bed to remake it with fresh sheets. He felt a little weird sleeping in a bed right after Kagome had, so he figured changing the sheets was a good idea.

He couldn't help but hold the pillowcase up to his face. He buried his nose in it and took a deep breath.

 _Her scent hasn't changed at all,_ Inuyasha mused. _It's the exact same as I remember._

He sighed and tossed the pillowcase onto the pile of sheets on the floor. He'd wash them at some point, but for now, he just wanted to have a shower.

He made quick work of grabbing new sheets and putting them on the bed before taking his toiletries to the bathroom to shower.

When he was clean and in his bed, he glanced at the photo of himself and Kagome on his nightstand before turning the lamp off.

_Tomorrow is gonna be a long day._

o.O.o

Kagome was in the hospital room when Inuyasha and his mother arrived.

The doctor was speaking with Kagome, so Inuyasha and Izayoi waited outside until the doctor said they could go in.

After the doctor left, Izayoi knocked gently on the doorframe to let Kagome know they were here.

She turned around in the chair she was sitting in, not bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

Her eyes widened when she saw Inuyasha.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Inuyasha was taken aback. "I'm sorry...I can leave if you don't want me to be here right now."

Kagome shook her head. "No, no, I'm sorry. You just...surprised me. Why are you here?"

"I thought you might need an extra friend," he replied. "I hopped on a plane as soon as you called me last night."

Kagome nodded and turned to Izayoi.

"They're going to take her off soon," she explained. "I'm going to stay in here with her, so…"

Izayoi nodded her understanding. "We'll wait outside. We're here for you, honey." Kagome stood up to hug Izayoi.

"Thank you," she whispered. "It might be time for goodbyes, then."

As Izayoi hugged Kagome, Inuyasha took a moment to look at Mrs. Higurashi.

It was a scary sight as he took in the tubes coming from her body that ranged from an intubation tube to several IV lines. Her skin was a ghostly pale. Inuyasha had never seen anyone look like that.

Kagome sniffled before letting go of Izayoi to sit back down in the chair by her mother's bedside.

Izayoi reached out to pat Mana's hand. "I love you, Mana. I'll take care of Kagome, so don't you worry about her." Izayoi's voice shook, and Inuyasha could tell she'd started crying.

A sob escaped Kagome as well, so Izayoi moved her hand from Mana's set on Kagome's arm.

Inuyasha came over to wrap his arm around his mother's shoulders.

"Bye, Mana," he said quietly. "Find some peace with Kaito and Dad." Kagome released another quiet sob at the sound of her father's name, and Inuyasha briefly wondered if he shouldn't have said that.

But Kagome met his gaze and nodded her gratitude, so he figured it had helped at least a little.

Soon enough, the doctor entered the room, so Inuyasha and Izayoi took it as their cue to leave.

Izayoi planted a kiss on Kagome's head before leading Inuyasha out.

Inuyasha spared a quick rub on Kagome's back before following his mother.

It was twenty minutes before Kagome emerged from the room. Her face was red and puffy, and there was still a steady stream of tears falling from her eyes.

"She's gone," she said in a wavering voice.

Izayoi opened her arms and pulled Kagome into an embrace. Kagome dissolved into tears against her.

Inuyasha felt a few tears escape him as well, and Kagome pulled back from Izayoi slightly to look at him.

Mana had been like a second mother to him, even though it had been years since they'd been able to thrive on that bond.

After their fathers had died in the same accident when Kagome and Inuyasha were twenty, they'd shared a special bond. They both knew the same tragedy, the same death-induced heartbreak.

Even now, Inuyasha and Kagome were sharing a similar sadness. Inuyasha knew his upset could never compare to the hurricane of sadness in Kagome's heart.

But it was a similar pain.

Kagome squeezed Izayoi once more before leaving her embrace and walking over to Inuyasha.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head on his chest, hugging him tightly.

Inuyasha wasted no time in returning her embrace as he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in all the comfort he could possibly offer.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," he murmured against her hair. "Mana was an amazing woman."

Kagome nodded against him.

It was a long time before they let go of each other.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome drove Ol' Reliable home almost in a daze. It had taken longer than she'd expected to finish the protocol that came with a family member dying in a hospital. Her mother would be cremated later that night, so she could go pick up the ashes the next day.

She hadn't been back to her house since her mother had initially gone to the hospital, so she figured it was time to go back and at least clean up the blood.

She was pretty sure they'd left their dinner dishes in the sink, so she wanted to get those washed before they attracted any bugs or critters.

Izayoi and Inuyasha had offered to come with her, but she declined. This was something she needed to do alone.

When she reached the house and walked in, the smell of blood greeted her. She immediately walked to the closet with the cleaning supplies and got to work.

She got the floor cleaned up quickly before moving on to the dishes.

Vacuuming the rug in the living room sounded like a good idea, too.

And maybe mopping all the floors.

And wiping out the microwave and oven.

She cried the whole time. Her mother's touch was _everywhere._

Kagome had no idea what she was going to do. Sell the house? Move to a new town?

She couldn't even get a job. Her teaching license had expired the year before, so she would have to go through the process of getting it all over again.

Everything was a _mess._

She went upstairs to her bedroom to pack a bag of clothes. She pulled out her phone to call Izayoi as she packed.

"Hi, honey," Izayoi greeted. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm okay," Kagome replied. "I was wondering...could I come stay with you for a few days? Just until I...figure out what to do."

"Of course, Kagome," Izayoi assured her. "You can stay here as long as you need to."

"Thank you," Kagome replied sincerely. "Can I come over soon?"

"Definitely," Izayoi said. "Inuyasha just left to go grocery shopping at Archie's, so it'll just be us girls for a while."

Kagome didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed.

"Okay," Kagome replied. "I'll be over there soon."

Kagome went to the bathroom and grabbed her toiletries before daring to go to her mother's room.

The bed was unmade from when her mother had risen from it before falling down the stairs.

Kagome picked up the pillow and held it up to her face, inhaling the familiar scent of her mother.

That's when the dam exploded and Kagome sobbed like she had never sobbed before.

o.O.o

Kagome arrived at Izayoi's house about thirty minutes later. Izayoi's car was in the driveway, so Kagome figured Inuyasha had taken his rental to the store.

 _I wonder what kind of car it is,_ she pondered. _Another Porsche? A Rolls Royce? A Ferrari?_

She didn't really care; it was just another reminder of the wealth and success barrier that had erected between them.

Izayoi hugged her upon Kagome's arrival.

"Are you hungry?" Izayoi asked. "I asked Inuyasha to pick up McDonald's for a late lunch on his way home, but I can make you a snack if you want."

Kagome shook her head. "No, thank you. I think I'm alright for now."

Izayoi smiled. "I just turned on a movie. Do you want to watch with me?" Kagome nodded and followed her into the living room.

It was a movie Kagome hadn't seen in quite a while; she couldn't even remember if she liked it. She knew she probably wouldn't pay the slightest bit of attention to it, but the background noise was soothing.

Inuyasha walked in about twenty minutes later.

"I'm home," he called.

"We're in the living room," Izayoi called back.

"I'll be there in a minute," Inuyasha said. "I'm gonna put groceries away."

Kagome hesitated for a moment before standing up. "I'll help him," she told Izayoi. Izayoi nodded before Kagome left the room.

"Hey," she greeted when she entered the kitchen. The mouthwatering smell of artery-clogging fast food hit her senses. She couldn't wait to dig in. "Can I help?"

Inuyasha nodded at the many grocery bags on the floor in the kitchen. "Sure. Thank you."

Kagome started going through the bags and pulling out different items. She glanced at Inuyasha as he also put things away.

She hadn't noticed that morning, but he was dressed differently than last time.

His jeans looked older and more off-brand, and he was wearing a t-shirt she hadn't seen in years. Gone were the pressed khakis and fancy button-down shirts. He looked more like the Inuyasha she remembered, save for the ponytail he was sporting.

At that moment, it felt like there were less differences.

When the groceries were all put away, Kagome glanced at the bag of McDonald's on the table.

"I got you a cheeseburger," Inuyasha said as he walked over to start pulling out the food. "Medium fries, medium sweet tea with light ice."

Kagome couldn't help but smile. "You remembered my order."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Of course I did, woman. I only ordered it for you ten times a week back in the day." Kagome laughed quietly.

"It wasn't ten times a week, Inuyasha," she reminded him. "Just Fridays...and maybe the occasional Wednesday...maybe a Monday or two...okay, you might be right about more than once a week." She paused for a moment. "Do you still get a McChicken, large fries, large Sprite?"

Inuyasha smiled at her. "Yep. Religiously."

"Wow," Kagome replied. "I would have expected four-star restaurants and fancy hor dourves every night. Personal chef, constantly filled fridge, all that."

Inuyasha shook his head. "You make me sound much more high-maintenance than I actually am."

"Oh," Kagome teased. "My bad. Let me just consult with the Porsche rental you probably have sitting next to Ol' Reliable in the driveway."

"It's actually a Toyota this time, thanks," Inuyasha replied jovially. "I downgraded."

Kagome gave a little smile. Talking about the new life he lived still hurt a little, but it didn't fill her with anger like last time. It was more of a banter now, a crazy thing they could laugh about rather than fight about.

And somehow, talking lightheartedly about it now was helping. She was still hurting from her mother's passing, but being able to think about something actually positive was helping her immensely.

Inuyasha had been right. She _did_ need a friend right now.

"Anyway," Kagome said. "Let's eat."

Inuyasha called Izayoi into the kitchen so they could all sit together and eat lunch. Kagome hadn't had McDonald's in what felt like forever. McDonald's was fairly cheap, but she still preferred to save as much money as possible. Eating out wasn't something she liked to do very often.

"So how long will you be here, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as they started eating. Inuyasha shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I haven't asked for a day off in...well, I've pretty much never asked for a day off, so I can stay however long. I brought my laptop in case I need to work remotely, so I should be good for a while."

Kagome nodded. Secretly, in the deepest cavern of her heart, she wished he would just stay.

She missed him. She missed the old him, but as they reconnected and talked more via text, she found herself missing even the new him.

When she looked past the fancy clothes and expensive cars, she could see the man beyond the wealth.

And in all honesty, she liked him. In what way, she wasn't sure, but she wanted more of his friendship, wanted more of _him._

They spent the rest of the day sitting on the couch watching movies. They turned on light-hearted and comedic films to try and offset the pain and sorrow.  
Kagome knew it would come, but for now she wanted to think about other things. Being in her house had been painful, and she wanted to try and push away that pain until later on when she was alone again.

Inuyasha cooked dinner later that night, a simple grilled chicken with spicy seasoning and steamed broccoli as the side.

It was delicious, of course. Kagome wondered if he'd learned that in his cooking workshop.

Around nine, Izayoi said she was going to bed.

Then it was just Inuyasha and Kagome sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Are you tired?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome shook her head.

"Not yet," she replied. "Are you?"

Inuyasha mirrored her head shake.

"One more movie?" Inuyasha suggested.

Kagome nodded. "Which one?"

Inuyasha smiled. "I think you know."

The opening music of _Spirited Away_ surrounded them once Inuyasha turned it on.

It was a long movie, but well-worth staying up late to watch.

When it was over, Kagome was yawning and definitely ready for bed.

She grabbed her bag which she'd left in the foyer after coming into Izayoi's house.

She paused after she grabbed it.

 _I hate the guest room mattress,_ she mused. _Maybe I'll just sleep on the couch._

"I'm sorry to ask," Kagome began, "but can I grab an extra sheet for the couch?"

Inuyasha seemed confused. "Why? You can just sleep in my bed."

Kagome nearly choked. "Um, what?"

"You hate the guest room mattress," Inuyasha said. "I'll sleep in there. You can take my bed. I just need to grab pajamas."

Kagome nodded. "Okay." Then she realized. "I didn't change the sheets the other night after I slept there. I never expected you to come, so I'm sorry about that."

Inuyasha waved off her concern. "It only took me a minute to change the sheets. I'll go ahead and do it before you go to sleep."

Kagome stopped him. "I mean, you only slept in there last night so you don't have to change them if you don't want to. One night isn't a big deal."

Inuyasha eyed her. "You sure? I don't want it to be...weird."

Kagome shook her head. "It'll be fine, really." Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome used the half-bathroom downstairs to brush her teeth and wash her face while Inuyasha went about turning off the tv and getting the downstairs lights mostly turned off aside from one so Kagome could see when she went upstairs.

He was just walking up the steps when Kagome emerged clad in her pajamas and ready for bed.

She followed him to his bedroom where his bag was set on the foot of the bed. He grabbed his bag to take to the guest room.

Without even considering the ramifications of what she was about to ask, Kagome spoke.

"Um, Inuyasha…"

"Yeah?"

Kagome hesitated. "Do you think...I don't want to be alone tonight. I thought I did, but…"

Inuyasha paused and looked at her. "I can bring an air mattress in here if you want."

Kagome looked away, becoming too embarrassed to tell him what she really wanted.

"Kagome," he began uncertainly, "do you want me to sleep in the bed with you?"

Kagome blushed. "I-that was stupid of me to ask. Just never mind. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, no. It's okay. I will. I just need to change and brush my teeth. I'll be right back."

Kagome nodded as he left the room. She turned the lamp on where it stood on the nightstand before turning off the ceiling light. She went ahead and lay down, snuggling up under the covers and inhaling the leftover scent of Inuyasha.

They'd lived with their parents throughout college to save money for their own house someday, so they'd never actually shared a bed. It felt too weird to do with their respective parents in whoever's house they were hanging out at.

It felt weird to do something new with him. It was like how texting had been new. Even that day, when Kagome was losing a parent, that wasn't new. They'd lost their fathers in the same accident. They knew the pain.

But this newness...this was different.

And it could be whatever they wanted it to be.

When Inuyasha returned, he came down to lay next to her under the covers. It was a full-size mattress, but he managed to leave a good distance between them. Chaste. Respectful.

Kagome went to turn off the lamp when she caught sight of the photo on his nightstand again.

"I can't believe how young we look in that photo," she murmured as she turned off the lamp. The moonlight cast a glow through the window, allowing Kagome to see Inuyasha under the soft natural light.

"I know," he replied quietly. "We were two goofball teenagers." Kagome smiled.

"Yeah, a couple of knuckleheads."

She rolled onto her side to face Inuyasha, who was laying on his back with his face turned up toward the ceiling.

"Inuyasha?" she murmured.

"Yeah?" he murmured back.

Kagome paused for a moment.

"Will you hold me tonight?"

Inuyasha turned his head to look at her. He gazed at her for a moment, and Kagome could tell his mind was running a mile a minute.

"Okay," he finally replied.

Kagome wasted no time in moving toward him. He wrapped his arms around her as she got comfortable against his chest. She moved her hand onto the spot over his heart and closed her eyes.

Underneath the cologne, she managed to catch a whiff of his natural scent.

"You smell the same," she said softly. "Underneath the newness, you're still there."

Inuyasha tightened his arms around her. "So do you. Through-and-through."

Kagome sighed. "I missed you, Inuyasha. I'm really grateful that you came."

Inuyasha ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion.

"I thought you might need me," Inuyasha replied. "Mom, too, but mostly you, Kagome. Always you."

A wave of emotion came over Kagome. Inuyasha's comfort reminded her of when they'd gone through the loss of their fathers together.

Now here she was right after the loss of her mother.

It hurt. _Everything_ hurt.

"I can't believe my mom is gone," she whispered. "I don't…"

Her voice broke as she began to cry. She'd known it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Oh, Kagome," Inuyasha said as he rolled over to pull her body flush against him.

Kagome buried her face in his chest as the grief crashed into her in waves.

She was going to be alone. After Inuyasha left, she would have Izayoi, but that was it.

_And when Izayoi is gone, what will I do then?_

Inuyasha held her close as she cried. He ran his fingers through her hair in the way that always made her feel better when she was sad.

"I'm here for you, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'll always be here for you."

It was the last thing Kagome heard before she cried herself to sleep.

O.o.O.o.O

The next morning, Inuyasha woke up with Kagome's warm body still pressed against him. He opened his eyes and was careful to keep still so as not to wake her.

She'd cried long into the night, and he'd been more than willing to provide her with all the comfort he could possibly give her.

Kagome had been so strong the day before. The tears she'd shed only made her stronger in his eyes, and they made him want to do everything in his power to help her heal.

In all honesty, after spending so much time with her the previous night, he didn't want to leave for New York.

At least not for a while.

A _long_ while.

Kagome began stirring a few minutes later, and when she finally woke up, she lifted her head to see Inuyasha before sitting up.

"Sorry," she said, her voice sounding sleepy. "I didn't mean to sleep on you like that." Inuyasha shook his head.

"It's alright," he replied. "It was comfortable."

She smiled. "Thank you for everything."

Inuyasha took her hand and squeezed it. "Of course."

She squeezed his hand back before getting up.

"I'm picking up her ashes this morning," Kagome said as she pulled clean clothes from her bag. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them, but I'll be relieved to have them. I might sprinkle them over Dad's grave."

Inuyasha nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

Kagome glanced at him. "Um, do you...do you think you could come with me?"

Inuyasha was surprised. "Sure. I'll go put on a pot of coffee while you're in the shower." Kagome smiled. "Thanks."

Once she'd gone to the bathroom, Inuyasha got out of bed and padded downstairs to the kitchen.

His mother was sitting at the table with her laptop in front of her.

"Good morning, honey," she greeted. "Did you sleep alright?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I'm gonna make a pot of coffee. Kagome's in the shower. We're going to pick up Mana's ashes."

Izayoi seemed surprised. "I'm surprised she doesn't want to go alone. I think it's nice that she wants you to go with her."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I'll do what I can to help her." Izayoi moved her laptop to the side and looked up at him.

"Honey," she began seriously, "how long do you think you'll stay?" Inuyasha shrugged as he got the coffee pot prepared.

"Not sure yet," he replied. "As long as I need to for Kagome's sake."

Izayoi frowned. "I don't want to sound harsh, but I think you need to be careful about that."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Izayoi sighed. "I'm the only one Kagome has in town anymore. Now that you're here, after going through this horrible tragedy with her, leaving will be even harder on her. I want you here and I know she does, too, but the longer you stay, the more devastated I think she'll be when you leave...again."

Inuyasha froze. His mother made a good point.

"What am I supposed to do then, Mom?" he asked exasperatedly. "I can't just leave tomorrow after...all this. Should I just not have come back here at all?"

Izayoi shook her head. "I think it's great that you came. I just think you need to keep all that in mind. I think you need to have an exact date that you're leaving so Kagome can prepare herself. Just think about it, honey."

Inuyasha finished setting up the coffee pot and turned it on.

When Kagome downstairs in fresh clothes and her hair still a little damp from her shower, she smiled at Izayoi and Inuyasha.

"Good morning," she greeted Izayoi. "How about I make some breakfast before Inuyasha and I head out?"

Izayoi smiled back at her. "Sure. I've been looking at some flower fields nearby that we could go to. Maybe you'd like to pick a bouquet in honor of Mana?"

Kagome nodded. "That sounds like a great idea." They all knew Kagome loved flower fields. When their fathers had died, she always wanted to go pick flowers and set them on their graves.

"Maybe we could do that later today?" Kagome suggested. "I was going to spread her ashes near Dad's grave after we picked them up, but it can wait until we've gotten flowers. We can pick a few extra for Toga's grave, too, and we can all go together."

 _Of course she would want to do something for my dad, too,_ Inuyasha thought warmly. _Kagome was always the epitome of kindness._

"That sounds lovely," Izayoi agreed. Inuyasha nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Inuyasha added. "I'm gonna go take a shower real quick."

He hurried up the stairs to get ready for the day. He needed a minute to think about what his mother had said and what it could mean for the near future.

 _I want to stay a while,_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he stepped into the shower. _But how hard will that be for Kagome?_

He sighed and went about washing his hair and his body. He wanted to just focus on that day and support Kagome in every way possible.

A fleeting thought came to his mind as he felt a familiar feeling come over him again.

It was distinctly similar to how he'd felt for six years of his life, and even a little more than that.

There was an instinct to support Kagome, to protect her, to make sure she had everything she could possibly need.

Over the many texts they exchanged and the night she'd spent wrapped in his arms, Inuyasha started to get a sinking feeling that he could be falling for her again.

 _Her mom just died, idiot,_ he scolded himself. _Now is not the time to be getting all mushy over her._

But it was Kagome. Feeling something, _anything,_ for her was always going to be inevitable.

The smell of pancakes wafted through the house as Inuyasha joined his mother and Kagome in the kitchen after his shower.

Kagome was finishing up the last few pancakes before setting them on a plate piled high with them.

When Inuyasha entered, Kagome smiled at him.

"I made sure to have six for you," she said. "I'm guessing you're still a pancake vacuum."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I can't deny that. Do you need help?"

Kagome nodded toward the cabinet. "Plates?"

Inuyasha helped her set the table and pretended to not notice his mother watching him with a look of concern on her face. She quickly schooled it when Kagome joined them at the table with the plate of pancakes, butter, and maple syrup.

"Looks great, Kagome," Inuyasha said as he piled his usual six pancakes on his plate.

"I found a field that's only about thirty minutes away," Izayoi announced as they began eating. "There are many different kinds of flowers there, so we'll have a wide variety. While you all are picking up the ashes, I'll pack us some lunches."

"That sounds wonderful, Izayoi," Kagome replied gratefully. "We could make it into a little memorial service, just the three of us."

 _She's so strong,_ Inuyasha mused as they ate. _Every second I'm near her makes me more and more hesitant to leave this town ever again._

When they'd finished eating, Izayoi offered to clean up so Kagome and Inuyasha could head over to pick up the ashes.

There were tears when Kagome was handed the urn, but Inuyasha was right there to put a comforting arm around her. She leaned into him until she was ready to leave. When they reached Inuyasha's rental car, she held the urn protectively against her chest.

Of course she'd made a teasing comment about his downgraded choice in rental cars.

But she seemed more comfortable riding in the Toyota, and that was all that really mattered to Inuyasha.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome moved to the backseat when they returned to Inuyasha's house to pick up Izayoi. They set off on the drive, and Kagome allowed herself to drift into memories.

With Inuyasha's back to her, she could almost pretend he was Toga sitting with Izayoi in the front seat.

Kagome imagined younger versions of herself and Inuyasha riding in the backseat together, sneaking shy glances as Inuyasha's parents drove them to the school dance to which they'd gone as "friends" before they started dating.

_Friends that had been in love with each other since childhood…_

She met Inuyasha's gaze in the rearview mirror and smiled at him. He returned it before focusing back on the road.

Kagome looked out the window and watched the scenery pass by.

Her mother was gone, but she didn't feel as alone as she'd expected. She'd always had Izayoi, but now it kind of felt like she really had Inuyasha again after so long.

It was nice.

o.O.o

The day was long and bittersweet. Kagome loved the flower field and they'd all picked bouquets to put on the graves of the ones they loved.

Kagome scattered her mother's ashes over her father's grave before putting flowers in front of the headstone.

They went to Inuyasha's father's grave next and put flowers there as well.

It was a quiet affair, but that was okay. The pain was still there, but Kagome could feel peace start to creep into her heart.

She and Inuyasha shared his bed again that night. She didn't even have to ask him to stay; he just did.

Being wrapped in his embrace for the second night in a row was like coming home.

"Thank you," Kagome murmured after Inuyasha had turned the lamp off. Inuyasha ran his hand over her back in soft motions.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

Kagome held him closer.

"For today," she replied. "For coming here...for being there for me. It means a lot."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "I'll always be here for you. Even when I'm not... _here,_ I'll still always do what I can for you. I want you to know that."

Kagome nodded, not wanting the reminder that he would eventually have to leave again but knowing it was something for which she needed to prepare herself.

"I do," she whispered. "So...maybe I could ask you something?"

Inuyasha nodded against her head. "Anything."

Kagome ran her hand over his chest and sighed. "Do you think I should sell the house? Your mom said I could stay here as long as I need to, so I was thinking of asking her if I could stay permanently. Then neither of us would have to be alone."

Inuyasha moved his hand up to run his fingers through her hair. "I think you should do whatever it is you feel is right. If you want to sell the house, sell it. If you want to keep it, keep it."

Kagome nodded. "When I figure out what feels right, I'll do it. Thanks, Inuyasha."

They fell into a silence, but Kagome could tell he wasn't asleep yet.

"How long are you staying here?" Kagome dared to ask.

"I haven't decided yet," Inuyasha admitted. "I might leave in about a week or so."

"That's really soon," Kagome commented.

Inuyasha sighed. "I have to go back sometime...but it's been nice being in town. I've missed it here."

"I'm glad you came," Kagome said. "It's nice having you around." She laughed quietly. "I didn't think I'd ever say that again."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I didn't think I'd ever _hear_ it."

"I miss us," Kagome admitted quietly. "I miss having you."

"You do have me," Inuyasha replied. "I'm right here."

Kagome shook her head against him. "You know what I mean."

Inuyasha's hand moved to pull her closer. "Yeah…"

"Can I tell you something?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome was quiet for a moment. _Should I even bother telling him?_

"I found the ring in your sock drawer."

Inuyasha's hand stilled on her back. "Oh."

Kagome nestled against him. "Why wouldn't you have returned it after you left?"

Inuyasha sighed. "There was no point in returning it. I've said it before, Kagome. Who else would have I ever married but you?"

"You could still return it."

She felt Inuyasha chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure the return policy wouldn't let me. It's been a while since I bought it. I threw the receipt away anyway."

Kagome laughed light. "Fair enough."

"Honestly, though, Kagome," he said seriously. "I could never love anyone like I loved you. I wouldn't be capable of it."

Kagome was quiet for a long time before she spoke.

"Me, neither."

O.o.O.o.O

After that one week passed, Inuyasha still hadn't booked a flight.

Every night he spent with Kagome in his arms made it that much harder to leave.

They weren't together, not by a long-shot, but just having her close was enough. He didn't want to be away from her again.

Eventually, a week turned into a month.

During that time, Kagome decided she definitely didn't want to sell the house. It had been in her family too long and had too many memories within its walls.

It was still too hard for her to be there alone, so she remained at Izayoi's house, wrapped in Inuyasha's arms every night as they slept in his bed.

He and Kagome relearned each other. They got to know each other as the new people they were, and Inuyasha found himself continuously falling for her more and more each day.

But time caught up with him, and working remotely soon turned out to be less and less practical. He knew it was time to get back to New York, but his mother had been right.

He'd stayed too long. It would be nearly impossible to leave Kagome.

"Hey," Inuyasha said to Kagome as they lay in bed one night a little over a month after he'd come to town.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I have to go back to the city soon."

Kagome didn't speak for a moment. "Okay. I was wondering when you would have to leave."

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said sincerely. "I wish I could stay longer, but they need me back at the office."

Kagome nodded. "Okay."

Inuyasha let go of her to roll onto his side to face her.

"I'll still be one text away," he reminded her. "Or a phone call maybe. I don't think I'll be able to go without hearing your voice for too long."

Kagome looked at him for a moment before sitting up.

"Inuyasha, what are we doing?"

Inuyasha frowned. "Um, laying down before we go to sleep?"

Kagome shook her head. "You know what I mean. It's been a month with you here and I've loved every single minute of it. I thought I hated you back when you came last time, but now...I don't hate you."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Well, that's a relief."

Kagome flashed him a look. "I'm serious. I'm going to sleep in the guest room tonight." Inuyasha set a gentle hand on her arm before she got up.

"Kagome, wait," he said seriously. "Finish telling me, please."

She looked away. "You're leaving again. I need to just get that through my mind and accept it."

Inuyasha sat up next to her. "Kagome." When she didn't look at him, he gently cupped her cheek to turn her face toward him.

When she met his gaze, he searched her eyes for some inkling of an explanation.

"Do you...not want me to go?"

Kagome bit her lip. "I...I'm not going to answer that question. It wouldn't be right of me."

The sadness in her eyes mirrored what Inuyasha had seen six years earlier when he told her he was leaving...without her.

 _How can I possibly leave her again?_ he wondered. _I know it won't be like last time. We'll talk every day, but...it won't be the same as it's been since I've been here._

He wouldn't leave things like they did when they were twenty-two. He refused.

Inuyasha gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Kagome reached up her hand to lay it over his.

She sighed as her eyes met his.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, "will you kiss me?"

Inuyasha let out a breathy laugh. "Seems like a trend now. I come here and we kiss before I leave."

Kagome leaned in first to kiss him softly.

Inuyasha moved his hand from her cheek and into her hair as he kissed her back.

He loved how it felt to kiss her again, but he hated how much it hurt.

Inuyasha didn't deepen the kiss like last time. He kept it light, soft, soothing.

When they pulled away, Inuyasha pulled Kagome into his arms before laying back down with her against him. She didn't go to the guest room that night.

It was then that he knew.

He'd fallen in love with her all over again.

o.O.o

Inuyasha booked a flight that would take off three days later.

He and Kagome didn't bring up the conversation or the kiss; they went about their day as usual, helping Izayoi with whatever she needed done or going through old stuff in Kagome's house.

The night before Inuyasha's flight, he walked into his room to see Kagome packing up her things.

"Hey," he said. "What are you doing?"

Kagome didn't look at him. "I'm going back to my house." Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"But it's my last night here," he replied. "You don't want to stay?"

"Inuyasha, I can't do it again," Kagome said. "I can't...I can't be here when you leave tomorrow. I need to just leave here myself." She slung the bag over her shoulder.

She walked toward him and hugged him in a quick, tight embrace before letting go. Inuyasha didn't miss the tears in her eyes.

"Kagome, wait," he begged. "Just...give me a minute, okay?"

Kagome paused and turned around to face him.

And Inuyasha was done for.

"I'll stay," he said. "I won't go back to New York."

Kagome's eyes widened. "You...what?"

Inuyasha walked over to her and cupped her cheeks in his hands. "I don't want to leave you. I won't do it again. I...I'll quit my job and find another one closer. Nothing is worth not being with you. I know that now."

Kagome shook her head. "No. You can't quit your job because of me."

"Then come with me," Inuyasha said. His mind was running a mile a minute as he grew more and more desperate.

"Inuyasha, stop, please! Quit making this harder than it already is!"

Her shout had him dropping his hands from her cheeks. She shook her head and looked away from him.

"We're not having this conversation again," Kagome said firmly. "It was bad enough six years ago. I don't want to go through it again. We're saying goodbye now. We'll still text and talk on the phone. We're friends this time, Inuyasha, so it'll be different." She huffed. "Now shut up and hug me goodbye."

"We're not friends, Kagome," Inuyasha said. "Not really. We're so much more than that." _Have I lost my mind? This is not how this was supposed to go!_

Kagome's eyes widened. "I don't...no, we're not."

"So you mean you haven't fallen in love with me again?"

Kagome looked at him in disbelief. "What...have _you_ fallen in love with _me_ again?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of course, woman! Don't act like you didn't already know."

Kagome threw her bag on the floor and walked right up to Inuyasha.

When her arms wrapped around his neck and she moved to kiss him, Inuyasha devoured her.

He kissed her like he used to so many years ago, in all the ways she loved and wanted. He still remembered every touch, how her lips felt against his, how she tasted.

He still wanted all of it, but now he wanted so much more.

Inuyasha clutched her tightly to him until their desperate kisses slowed. There was a sweetness there that he hadn't felt since they were younger, and Inuyasha dared himself to believe it was a beginning.

Wishful thinking.

"That was goodbye, Inuyasha," Kagome murmured when they parted. "Don't give up New York for me. I won't let you, okay? I don't have any hard feelings this time. I promise."

Inuyasha pulled her in again to hug her tightly. He was silent; he didn't have anything else to say.

He was going back to New York.

Alone.

Again.

When Kagome finally left, Inuyasha went downstairs to sit with Izayoi in the living room.

"Why did Kagome leave?" Izayoi asked. "Is she alright?"

Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair. "She didn't want to be here when I left," he said flatly. "So she went home."

"I don't blame her," Izayoi replied. "I warned you about this, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded. "I know. I should have listened."

"But you two are in a better place now," Izayoi mentioned. "It'll be different this time. You're not leaving with any bitter feelings, right?"

Inuyasha grabbed the remote. "What movie do you wanna watch?"

Izayoi seemed to understand; she didn't press him anymore about it.

"Whatever you want to watch, honey."

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome cried the whole night.

Inuyasha had snuck his way back into her heart, and now that he was leaving again, she felt a sadness start to grow again.

_He loves me...and I love him. Of course I love him._

She sobbed into her pillow. She couldn't tell him. Not right before he left her again.

_I told him to go. I can't be what holds him back from going to the city and the job he loves. I won't do that to him._

They would keep in touch. They would be friends.

Kagome had kissed him, and she meant it as an old ending.

But she really wanted it to be a new beginning.

o.O.o

The next day, she sat at the kitchen table and watched the time on the oven go by.

At noon, she knew he was on the plane back to New York.

He was gone.

A knock came at her front door a little while later.

A small part of her hoped it was Inuyasha coming to whisk her off to New York with him, but it was Izayoi who stood on the other side of the door.

"Hi, Izayoi," Kagome greeted as she stepped aside so Izayoi could enter.

"Hi, honey," Izayoi replied. "Can we talk?"

Kagome nodded and closed the front door behind them before heading into the living room.

Izayoi followed her and sat down on the couch.

"Is everything okay?" Kagome asked.

Izayoi was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"I want to ask you something," Izayoi began, "but if you don't want to answer, I won't push you or pressure you." Bewildered, Kagome nodded.

"Are you in love with Inuyasha?" Izayoi asked.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Did he say something to you?"

Izayoi shook her head. "Not explicitly, no, but I could tell there was something bothering him. Then he mentioned he'd told you how he felt but that he was still leaving, so I figured…"

Kagome's eyes dropped to her lap. "So you figured I broke his heart. Are you here to scold me?"

Izayoi laughed. "Of course not, honey. I'm here to ask why you didn't tell him you feel the same?"

Kagome's eyes shot up to her. "What? How did you…"

Izayoi waved off her surprise. "I've watched you two fall in love with each other all over again for the last month. What's keeping you from telling him, Kagome?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't want to hurt him. If I told him, he would stay here. I don't want him to leave his job because of me. I don't want him to pick up his entire life because of me."

Izayoi reached out to put her hand over Kagome's. "I'm going to tell you something, but I don't want you to tell Inuyasha I told you, okay?" At Kagome's nod, Izayoi continued speaking.

"Inuyasha has never been the same since he left here six years ago. He has a nice job, money, all the success he'd desired, but I haven't heard him sound truly happy in _years."_ She smiled. "Until he came back here and started spending time with you, Kagome. What does that tell you?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "You think he would give all that up for me? He would just resent me eventually…"

Izayoi shook her head. "He wouldn't, honey. I know Inuyasha."

Kagome mulled over her words for a few moments. _He would give everything up for me...just like I would have done for him...but now I'm the one saying no. It's like we've come full-circle._

Kagome's heart began to race in her chest. Could she do it? Could she go back to a life without Inuyasha?

O.o.O.o.O

Inuyasha looked out of his bedroom window. The city was always amazing at night when he got to see the lights that illuminated the sky.

_Light pollution. Great._

He took a sip from the glass of sweet tea he'd made earlier that night. He didn't normally drink it, but it reminded him of Kagome.

_Kagome…_

She hadn't meant to, but she'd shattered his heart. He'd done the same thing to her, and it felt like he was finally being met by karma.

Well, more like being _punched_ by karma.

The flight home had been fine but he spent the evening moping a bit, if he was being honest.

Inuyasha finished the glass of sweet tea and set it on his nightstand, not bothering to take the glass to the sink. He'd take care of it tomorrow.

His phone rang on his nightstand with Kagome's contact showing up on the screen.

He hesitated and considered not answering for a moment. He scoffed at himself.

As if he would ever screen one of her calls.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Inuyasha." His heart throbbed at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Kagome."

"I just wanted to check in and see how your flight went and if you'd gotten home alright." Inuyasha went to the kitchen to get another glass of sweet tea.

"Yep," he replied. "All good here."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have left last night. I wish I had stayed."

Inuyasha filled the glass from the pitcher of tea.

"It's alright," he replied. "It was for the best. It probably would have just made it harder to leave this morning."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed quietly.

Inuyasha could tell she was holding something back, but he wasn't sure what it could be.

"What's wrong, Kagome?"

"I...nothing. I'm fine."

_She's lying, but why?_

"Okay," Inuyasha replied simply. _She'll tell me eventually if she really wants to tell me._

"I made sweet tea," he said, changing the subject. "It's not as good as McDonald's, but it's alright."

Kagome laughed. "That's because they use an unholy amount of sugar in their tea. You probably don't even have that much sugar in your apartment."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Yeah, you're right."

They talked for a little while longer about what all was waiting for Inuyasha at work and what Kagome had planned with Izayoi that week.

When it came time to end the call, they fell into a silence.

"I'll talk to you soon," Inuyasha said, not wanting to end the conversation.

"Okay," Kagome replied. There was a catch in her voice that told Inuyasha she had something to say but was holding it back.

 _Say it, Kagome,_ he begged her silently. _Tell me you love me, too._

"Good night," was all she said.

"Good night."

o.O.o

"You look like crap."

Inuyasha grimaced at Sango.

"You're supposed to say good morning," he replied flatly.

Sango frowned. "It's definitely _not_ a good morning if you look like that."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'm fine. I just...didn't sleep well last night."

Inuyasha had been back in the city for a week. He'd spoken to Kagome on the phone every night, and every night he waited for her to tell him she loved him, too.

She never did.

He could hear it in her voice. He _knew_ she felt the same way. She just seemed to refuse to say it.

"Is it Kagome?" Sango asked gently. "I thought things were okay with her."

Inuyasha sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you, Sango. When I was gone, I fell in love with her again. I told her because I know, I _know,_ she loves me, too, but she didn't say it back and then told me to come back here. Alone."

Sango winced. "Ouch."

Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair.

"We talk on the phone every night," he continued. "That's enough for now. But what about...when it's _not_ enough?"

Sango shook her head. "That's a tough one, but she was out of your life for six years. Now she's back. You have to decide if you want her in your life as she is or not at all so you can move on."

"I'll always want her in my life," Inuyasha replies immediately. "I can't possibly move on from her. It just...hurts in a different kind of way. But you're right. I want her in my life even as it is. Even if it never grows, well, I'll figure it out."

"Alright, boss man," Sango replied. "I'm always here to give you girl advice if you need it. Now I've got some memos for you to look at if you don't mind."

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome lay in her bed, her restless mind keeping her awake.

She hadn't been sleeping very well. Her gut was constantly churning, leaving her nauseous and uneasy all the time.

Every time she felt like she'd worked up the nerve to tell Inuyasha she loved him, she chickened out at the last second.

It had been nine days.

Nine days of longing, of sadness, of pure _want._

She needed to get it together.

Kagome sat up in bed and grabbed her phone.

It was only nine, so she knew Inuyasha would be awake.

"Alright," she said out loud. "I'm going to tell him I love him right now."

Instead of calling him like usual, she FaceTimed him. She figured it would be better to see him when she told him how she felt.

When he answered, he smiled at her immediately.

"Hey," he greeted. "This is a surprise."

Kagome smiled back at him. "I figured it might be nice to see each other when we're talking. I hadn't called yet tonight...I hope it's not too late."

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, it's fine. I haven't even started getting ready for bed yet."

Kagome fidgeted with the hem of her shirt with her free hand.

"Okay. So...how was your day?"

She and Inuyasha flowed into their usual conversation and filled each other in on their days.

They were laughing at something funny his mom had done when Kagome felt the fiercest urge to tell him.

He was laughing brightly, all teeth and bright eyes.

"I miss you," Kagome said. At her softer tone, Inuyasha smiled.

"I miss you, too, sweetheart," he replied.

_Sweetheart…_

"We should FaceTime more often," she suggested. "It's nice to get to see you."

Inuyasha smiled. "That sounds good."

Kagome bit her lip before finally losing her nerve for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Well, I'll let you go," she said. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay," Inuyasha replies. "Good night."

"Good night."

Kagome groaned loudly after they ended the call.

"Stupid! What is _wrong_ with me?"

_This has gotten ridiculous. I can't do this anymore._

So she made a decision.

O.o.O.o.O

When Inuyasha got off of the FaceTime call with Kagome, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him, too. He could feel it in his bones.

The way she looked at him was the same as it was so long ago, and Inuyasha found himself craving that gaze. He wanted to feel it on him again.

_I have to wait until she's ready. I won't push her._

Kagome had FaceTimed Inuyasha for the first time on a Tuesday, and they'd kept it up until the following Friday.

They were talking like usual about their days and just chatting in general when Kagome paused for a moment.

"Will you be able to FaceTime tomorrow?" she asked.

Inuyasha laughed. "Of course. That was a silly question, sweetheart." Kagome rolled her eyes mirthfully.

"I just didn't want to interrupt you if you had any plans," she explained. "You're not doing anything at all tomorrow?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. Well, I might go grocery shopping in the morning, and I have some work stuff to go over after that. It's nothing too crazy, though. Besides, I always have time to talk to you, Kagome. You know that."

Kagome smiled. "Okay. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your mom found her first mouse today."

Inuyasha laughed. That was no surprise to him. It was well into October, and his mother never failed to get a couple of mice during the fall and winter.

"Right on schedule," he joked.

They talked a while later before Kagome started yawning.

"Are you tired?" he asked. Kagome shrugged.

"A little," she replied. "I just had a busy day with all the mouse chasing. I'll talk to you soon, though, okay?"

Inuyasha smiled. "Okay. Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, Inuyasha."

The chime of the FaceTime call ending was his current least favorite sound, but he tried to keep himself from getting too down about it.

Man, he missed her.

But seeing her every night on FaceTime helped, and every second of seeing her smile or laugh soothed out the edges of his soul and made everything all-around _better._

o.O.o

The next day, Inuyasha got up and ready to go to the store. He hated grocery shopping and thought it was dreadfully boring.

_Maybe I'll just order take-out…_

He shook his head and finished getting ready. _Be an adult. Buy food. Like an adult._

He shrugged on a jacket, grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys and left the apartment.

Inuyasha texted Kagome on his way to the parking garage of his apartment.

**Good morning. I'm braving the chilly winds and crowded city to go grocery shopping. Wish me luck.**

Kagome texted him back a moment later.

**Lol. Good luck, sweetheart. Try not to blow away.**

Inuyasha's eyes widened when he read _sweetheart._

She hadn't called him that in years.

He'd brought the pet name back without even really meaning to, but Kagome didn't seem to mind it and there was something so soothing about saying it to her again.

But Kagome...she didn't say. She never said it.

Until now.

_Does that mean...is she ready to tell me?_

He'd texted her after he finished grocery shopping about an hour later, but she didn't reply.

He wondered if maybe Izayoi had found another mouse and they were trying to catch it. He didn't pay too much attention to it and went ahead and put his groceries away.

Once he'd stocked the groceries, he put a cup of ramen in the microwave and got his work laptop set up on the table. He had a couple of things to work on, and he figured it would keep him occupied until Kagome responded to his text.

Inuyasha finished his work stuff before Kagome had answered, and he was starting to get a little concerned.

He was just about to text her again to see if everything was alright when his screen lit up with a phone call.

"Hey, Kagome."

"Hi," she replied. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to answer your text."

Inuyasha closed his laptop and moved to the living room to sit on the couch.

"It's alright," he said. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine," she replied. "Well, maybe not. I just miss you, Inuyasha. I miss you a lot. All the time." The little note of what he knew she was suppressing was lingering just under the surface of her words, closer than he'd ever felt it.

Inuyasha smiled sadly. "I miss you, too, Kagome." He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I haven't said this since the night before I left, but I love you. I just...I want you to know that I still feel the same way. I'll always feel the same way."

"Inuyasha…"

"No, just hear me out," he pleaded. "I'll never force you into anything, but you have to know how I feel, and...Kagome, I am so in love with you."

"Inuyasha, stop," Kagome replied. "You're making it way too hard to not say this over the phone."

And she hung up.

Inuyasha pulled the phone away from his ear and frowned. _She...hung up on me? What the heck was that about?_

But then a knock came at the door.

Uncertain of who it could possibly be, Inuyasha walked to the door and peeked through the peephole.

His eyes widened.

_It couldn't be…_

He opened the door to find a very rumpled Kagome standing in the hallway.

Her hair was tossed up in a messy ponytail and she had dark circles under her eyes.

He'd never seen her more beautiful.

"Kagome, what are you-"

Kagome cut him off immediately.

"I had to hang up because I've been waiting all day to tell you that I fell in love with you again because I wanted to tell you in person but then _of course_ you start saying stuff on the phone that makes it a million times harder to not just scream it. I couldn't go another second without you knowing, so I hopped on a plane and came here."

She huffed. "By the way, it's literally impossible to figure out where everything is in this city so I have no idea how you manage to navigate this place every single day but I have to admit that it's really pretty here so-"

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her to haul her inside the apartment. He took the bag off of her shoulder and pulled her up and into his embrace.

He felt her bury her face into his neck as she clung tightly to him.

"I love you," she said against his skin. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Inuyasha shook his head. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I didn't want to pressure you into anything you weren't ready for."

Kagome pulled away to look at him. She cupped his cheeks in her palms and smiled up at him. "You didn't. I've been wanting to tell you since you left, but...I was afraid. But then talking to you on the phone and having _nothing_ change...it made me realize that I don't have to be afraid. I don't _want_ to be afraid. I just want you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha leaned down to kiss her and she met him eagerly.

When they pulled away, he just held her close, hugging her tightly and feeling the familiar molding of their bodies together.

They had managed to find their way back from the delta of their lives, from their parting at the peak of young love.

Somehow, they had managed to find their way back to what had always been meant to be.

"Welcome to New York, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured.

Kagome pulled back again to smile up at him. "Me being here...it's a long time coming, huh?"

Inuyasha laughed.

"I have a feeling it'll have been worth the wait," he said before kissing her again.

To be continued...


	3. Source

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

**From the Delta: Part III, Source**

Inuyasha was stirring the soup on the stove when he glanced at Kagome, whose eyes were already on him.

He smiled. "Careful, woman. Don't look at me like that unless you want me over there while our lunch gets cold."

Kagome laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart. I just want to look at you."

Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head. "Cheesy woman."

He could only feel grateful that she'd come on a Saturday so that they had all of Sunday together.

She'd been blown-away when he gave her a tour of his apartment the previous night after she'd arrived.

Well, after they'd moved their reunion to the couch for a while.

After he'd showed her around, she asked if she could shower after her flight.

She'd squealed in excitement when she saw how nice his master bathroom was; it seemed like she barely heard him when he said he was going to cook dinner while she freshened up.

They'd spent the evening eating dinner, holding each other, and just getting reacquainted with their newfound ability to just be together in the ways they'd both been wanting.

As Inuyasha stirred the soup on that Sunday afternoon, he felt his smile falter slightly.

The only thing that hadn't come up was the question of _where do we stand?_

He wanted to be with her, and he knew she wanted to be with him, but where did that leave them? How would they proceed from there?

He pushed it from his mind and focused on adding the final seasonings to the soup.

"You don't have any pictures anywhere," Kagome noticed as Inuyasha started to ladle the soup into bowls. "Maybe we can take some while I'm here."

Inuyasha nodded and glanced at her. "That sounds nice." He held back his wonderings of how long she would be staying; they could talk about that later.

"I could show you around later this evening," Inuyasha offered as he brought the bowls over to the little table in his breakfast nook. "It'll be cold, but the city is amazing at night."

Kagome smiled. "That sounds great." She looked down at the soup Inuyasha put in front of her as her eyes lit up. "This looks delicious, Inuyasha. Thank you."

Inuyasha sat down across from her and smiled back. "You're welcome."

He watched her as subtly as possible, but of course she noticed.

"What is it?" she asked, smiling. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied. "I just...ever since I moved into this apartment, I've never had anyone to sit across from me at this table. I never really admitted it to myself, but I always wanted it to be you."

Kagome's eyes turned sad after he finished speaking.

"I'm sorry you've been alone all these years," she said. "You haven't dated at all since moving here?"

Inuyasha hesitated. "Well, I actually have, a couple years after I left." He didn't miss the hurt in Kagome's eyes. She'd already told him that she hadn't dated anyone at all since Inuyasha left.

"Kagome," he said reassuringly, "there was only one woman, and I couldn't continue dating her because she wasn't _you._ I was in too deep with you to ever really be able to move on."

There was still a hint of pain in Kagome's eyes, but she seemed to understand.

"If I had been asked to go on a date when you were gone," she began, "I probably would have to try and move on, just to see if I could."

Inuyasha reached out to set his hand on hers.

"I just feel really lucky that nothing else worked out for us," Inuyasha replied. "That sounds weird, but I'm glad that things changed when I came to town to visit."

Kagome squeezed his hand. "Me, too. I think you came at the perfect time, when I needed you most."

Inuyasha nodded. "I've always needed you, Kagome. Ever since I left. Nothing felt right without you. Now that you're here...it feels like everything is finally okay."

"I feel the same way," Kagome said.

Inuyasha allowed himself to pretend that they could stay in that moment forever, their hands clasped on his table and so lost in each other that nothing else seemed to matter.

They spent the rest of their dinner talking about what sights they would visit after they ate. Kagome offered to wash the dishes while Inuyasha grabbed his jacket.  
It was brisk and chilly, so he knew they would need to bundle up.

It was colder in New York than it was in Virginia, so Inuyasha figured Kagome wouldn't have expected she would need gloves and a scarf.

Once he'd grabbed the extra items from his coat closet, he walked back to the kitchen.

"I brought you some gloves, sweetheart. It gets a lot colder here, so-"

He cut himself off after walking into the kitchen to find Kagome standing in front of one of his cabinets with the door wide open.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked.

Kagome turned around to face him. "I can't believe you still have this."

Inuyasha shifted his gaze to look at what she had in her hand.

It was a mug from ten years earlier when he and Kagome had graduated from high school.

As their graduation gifts, they had bought each other a set of two mugs, one with a cat on it and one with a dog.

His was the one with the dog as a nod to his name, and Kagome had the one with the cat on it. Kagome thought the set was "adorable," as she'd put it, so they'd split the cost and each taken a mug.

They'd both written little notes in Sharpie marker on the bottom, so Inuyasha had done his best to keep it preserved through the years.

"I haven't used it in a long time," Inuyasha admitted. "But I've always kept it." Kagome smiled.

"Same here," she replied. "I still have mine. It's in a box in my bedroom closet, though. I'll take it out when I get home."

Inuyasha set the coats and warm items on the table before walking over to Kagome. She put the mug back in the cabinet right before Inuyasha wrapped her in his arms to murmur in her ear.

_"Let's make this night last forever…"_

Kagome sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

It was the lyric he'd written on the bottom of Kagome's mug from the Blink-182 song that he'd played for Kagome on their first date. Coincidentally, the song was called "First Date" and completely captured how nervous he was for the moment they changed their friendship into something more.

Kagome had admitted she'd felt the same way, and it became a running joke they'd laughed about as they stumbled into what would eventually become their forever.

Kagome tilted her head up to whisper the lyric she'd written on Inuyasha's mug into his ear.

_"When you smile, I melt inside…"_

For the strangest reason, Inuyasha felt tears in his eyes.

He'd teared up when Mana passed, but the last time he'd actually cried had been when his and Kagome's fathers died. Even after he left Kagome to move to the city, he hadn't cried. He'd only felt numb and incapable of feeling _anything._

But now, holding Kagome and thinking about the memories of their relationship with the thought of hope rather than dread, he felt overcome with emotion.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said as she pulled back a little. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Inuyasha shook his head and moved to wipe the few tears that had escaped. "Sorry, I'm just...happy."

Kagome smiled and reached up to brush away a stray tear. "I am, too. I didn't mean to upset you with the mug." Inuyasha pulled her back to him and shook his head against her.

"No, don't apologize," he murmured. "I just never thought this could ever happen again."

Kagome squeezed him a little tighter.

Finally, after Inuyasha had gathered himself, they got ready to leave the apartment to look around the city.

They got bundled up, bracing themselves for the crisp chill, and made their way outside.

"I live pretty much in the heart of the city," Inuyasha said as they got on the elevator of his apartment building. "But we can drive everywhere we want to go if you're cold."

Kagome smiled. "I need the full experience. Let's walk." Inuyasha nodded and, unable to help himself, leaned down to kiss her.

The ding of the elevator broke them apart, so they got off and made their way to exit the building.

There was a chill as they paraded around the city, but Kagome had taken Inuyasha's hand as soon as they started walking, so he felt pretty warm inside.

He could tell that Kagome loved every minute of their excursion. They took pictures in front of all the landmarks and stopped at a popular restaurant for dinner.

Kagome insisted on paying for dinner, which Inuyasha adamantly argued against, but Kagome stopped him with a look.

"Let me do this for you," Kagome said gently. "You've done so much for me. Let me treat you for once." How could Inuyasha say no to that, especially with the adoring look in her eyes?

When they made it back to Inuyasha's apartment, Kagome took off her coat as well as Inuyasha's scarf and massive gloves.

"I know I said I would probably hate New York," Kagome began as she set the coat on the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen, "but I loved every minute. It's _amazing_ here."

Inuyasha smiled. "I'm glad you had fun. I never thought we'd get to do this together, so I'm glad we did."

Kagome took his hand and squeezed. "I'm a little tired, though. Can we just chill on the couch for a little while?" Inuyasha nodded and shrugged his coat off before following Kagome to the couch.

As if on instinct, they curled up together and lay back on the couch. Inuyasha held Kagome against his chest, his hand gently moving up and down her back.

"How long do you think you can stay?" Inuyasha asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Kagome replied. "I still have some things to do at the house...I've been thinking about putting the keepsakes in storage and renting out the house. It's been paid off for several years, so I would only be profiting from being a landlady."

Inuyasha nodded. "That sounds like a great idea. Where would you live?"

"Probably with your mom," Kagome replied. "We're both alone in town now, so I was going to ask if I could come live with her. I want us to stick together."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment.

"I see," he finally said. "Kagome...will you let me come home with you?"

Kagome sighed. "You already know how I feel about that." She sat up to look at him.

"But, Inuyasha," she began, "I need to know...would you want to do long-distance? Or would you need that... _break_ for an adjustment period?"

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever said," Inuyasha replied immediately. "I never should have said that to you back then. I would _never_ want a break. I don't ever want to not be with you, Kagome. Even if we aren't together physically, I always want us to be together."

"Me, too," Kagome agreed. "I don't ever want to let you go again."

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment. "Do you remember you joked about me having enough money for you to fly back home fairly often if you moved here with me?" Kagome nodded.

"Well," Inuyasha continued, "you weren't wrong about money not being any issue, so...if you wanted to fly here to spend time together, that's completely possible."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Really? How often?" Inuyasha hesitated.

"Honestly, Kagome, I could afford a plane ticket for you every weekend."

Kagome's jaw dropped. _"What?_ I knew you made a lot of money, but that's crazy, Inuyasha. That'll drain you, won't it?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Money isn't a problem. Besides, even if I did have to cut back on whatever else, it would be worth it. Nothing matters as much as you."

Kagome took a deep breath. "Okay," she finally said. "Then...yes, let's do it."

Inuyasha sat up next to her. "Will you be my girlfriend, Kagome? Uh, again?"

Kagome laughed and nodded before moving into his embrace. "Of course I will."

And that night, when the empty side of his bed was occupied by Kagome herself, Inuyasha felt better than he had in years.

O.o.O.o.O

"Inuyasha, come see this!"

Inuyasha walked into Kagome's bedroom to see her pulling out several boxes from her closet.

"What is it?" he asked as he came to sit next to her in front of the closet.

"They're all my keepsakes! I've been waiting to go through them just in case you came to visit before I moved out for the new tenant."

Kagome had flown out to New York the past two weekends, so Inuyasha figured it was his turn to come visit. His mother was excited to see him, so they'd been having a pleasant weekend.

He also wanted to help Kagome finish packing up her house; she'd cleaned and vacuumed and scrubbed everything downstairs, so Inuyasha wanted to help her finish packing and deep-cleaning everything upstairs, which would prove to be a much bigger and tougher task.

"I found these photo albums the first time you came to visit," Kagome explained as she started taking them out of the box. "I didn't look through them, though. I just put them back here but now we can go through them together."

"Get ready to cringe," Inuyasha warned. Kagome laughed as soon as she opened the first album.

"Your hair!" she shrieked. "Look at it!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as she pointed to a picture of him when he was thirteen. He'd been testing out "scene" hair during their simultaneous punk phase. His hair was still long and flowing, but the bangs were plastered across his forehead with gobs of hair gel. It was the only way to keep the unruly locks in a truly side-swept part.

"How have you never been ugly?" Inuyasha asked as he pointed to Kagome standing next to him in their usual pose with Inuyasha's arm around her shoulders and her arms around his waist. "Even with your hair in the same style as mine, you look _normal."_ Kagome nearly collapsed on the floor from the intensity of her laughter.

"I do miss that, though," Kagome commented as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "You really rocked the black skinny jeans. I peaked at your butt, even then. I remember thinking it looked _really_ good." Inuyasha nudged her shoulder with his.

"Aw, teenaged Kagome had a crush on me," he teased. Kagome smiled.

"Oh, please," she chided. "Your crush on me started when we were six. You've got me beat there."

"Yeah, you're right," Inuyasha conceded. "Even back then, there was no one else for me. It's always been you, Kagome."

Kagome kissed him quickly before they continued looking through the photos. Inuyasha couldn't help his chuckle as he took in the other few photos from their punk phase. It had only lasted a short time until they changed up their styles.

The rest of the album was filled with photos up until eighth grade. Inuyasha was eager to find the one from ninth grade, which was when Kagome had started to really reciprocate his feelings beyond just finding his butt attractive and being shy about thinking he was cute since they were kids.

The next one Kagome grabbed turned out to be from shortly after they met in kindergarten. There were dozens of pictures of them playing in the sprinkler, splashing each other in the community pool, and running around outside or on playgrounds.

Inuyasha's hair was only to his shoulders, and Kagome's was pulled up in two high ponytails on the sides of her head.

There were pictures of their whole families at each holiday. There were birthdays and first days of school and photos of Inuyasha and Kagome growing closer as childhood best friends.

"We were really cute, huh?" Kagome chirped. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her as they looked at the last few photos in the album.

"Mostly you, but yeah," he replied. Kagome laughed as she grabbed another album.

"Oh, man," she said as she opened it to the first page. "We've hit high school." Inuyasha rubbed her shoulder as they peered down at the first photo of them on the first day of school.

"We were so nervous," Kagome said. "New school, new friends, but always the two of us."

There were countless pictures of Inuyasha learning to ride his skateboard and Kagome starting to experiment with make-up. She'd pretty much stopped wearing make-up altogether near the end of high school, but when she first started using it, she was constantly wearing fairly bright colors with minimum blending.

"Ugh, that make-up was awful," she said with a wince. "How did you ever have a crush on me when I looked like... _that."_

Inuyasha chuckled. "I didn't care. You were still Kagome."

Kagome patted his cheek before focusing back on the photos.

"This one is from the dance!" she said excitedly. Inuyasha smiled as Kagome pointed to the picture.

It was the first dance they'd attended together as friends, despite the fact that they were both already in love with each other.

"That suit was so uncomfortable," Inuyasha remembered. "I could barely dance." Kagome laughed.

"You made it work, though," she reminded him. "You looked so cute. It still took you a while to ask me out, though."

Inuyasha blushed. "You looked so beautiful that night, sweetheart, and I guess fifteen-year-old me thought it would just kind of _happen_ until my mom said I actually needed to do something about it."

Kagome shook her head and laughed. "I'm just glad Izayoi helped you realize you actually needed to ask me on a real date."

Inuyasha remembered their mugs with the lyrics from "First Date." He remembered kissing her afterwards in the car he'd borrowed from his mom. Kagome didn't have her license yet so she couldn't drive Ol' Reliable, so Inuyasha had begged his mom to let him drive her car.

"Remember our first kiss?" he asked. Kagome hummed.

"Yeah," she replied. "It was a doozy."

Inuyasha chuckled. "It was gross, looking back on it. We were both so bad at it until we were, what, seventeen?" Kagome smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Inuyasha smiled back at her and leaned down to kiss her properly. When they pulled away, Inuyasha leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm sorry things turned out like they did."

Kagome shook her head, brushing her nose with his. "I don't want you to be sorry, my love. You're my soulmate, and soulmates always find a way back to each other."

Inuyasha kissed her a final time before pulling away so they could finish looking through the photo albums.

O.o.O.o.O

Kagome set her last box in the passenger seat of Ol' Reliable and got ready to head over to Izayoi's house to drop it off. The previous night had been her last one in her house, so she'd packed up her sheets and sprayed the final disinfecting cleaner on her mattress.

She'd just finished meeting with her first tenants, a family of three that had signed on to start renting out the house the following week. The lease would last for six months until the family decided to sign again or it became time for Kagome to rent it out to someone else.

Once she'd gotten settled in the driver's side and put her seatbelt on, she pulled out her phone to send a quick text to Inuyasha.

**I just finished meeting with the tenants! I'm going to drop the last box off at Izayoi's house and then I'll head to the airport. Can't wait to see you tonight. I love you.**

Inuyasha sent her a text back a few moments later.

**That's great, sweetheart! I have a surprise when you get here. I love you, too.**

Kagome's eyes widened at the text. _A surprise? I wonder what it is._

She and Inuyasha had been officially back together for two months, and Kagome had only gotten happier, which she didn't even know was possible.

True to Inuyasha's word, he flew her out to New York every weekend before and after he'd helped her finish packing and cleaning the upstairs area of her house.

During her visits to New York, she'd also gotten to spend time with Inuyasha's assistant, Sango, and her husband, Miroku. Sango and Kagome had hit it off immediately, and they'd already become close friends.

Speaking of Sango, Kagome opened a new message to send to her.

**I'll be in New York later today! Can't wait to see you guys tomorrow!**

Sango answered a minute later.

**We can't wait either! Especially the boss man. You know how he gets.**

Kagome laughed and shook her head. Inuyasha was always making plans for whenever Kagome came to the city.

He had something new planned for them to do every weekend, and he almost always included Miroku and Sango. That was typically Saturday night, which left Kagome and Inuyasha Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon, and all of Sunday to just be with each other.

When Kagome arrived at Izayoi's house later, she had a nice quick visit with the older woman after putting her box upstairs in Inuyasha's room, which would be where she was staying while renting out her house.

"You should come with me, Izayoi," Kagome said for what felt like the tenth time since October. "Flying isn't that bad once you get used to it." Izayoi laughed.

"I know, honey," she replied. "Maybe one of these days. Now how about some lunch before you head to the airport?"

o.O.o

Kagome looked around excitedly when she exited the terminal to make her way to the baggage claim.

She always timed her flights to land in time for Inuyasha to come pick her up on his way home from work, so she looked for him eagerly. Her suitcase was always small enough to be used as a carry-on, but Inuyasha insisted she meet him at baggage claim instead of outside the airport.

"It's freezing outside, sweetheart," Inuyasha had said the second time she'd flown out to visit and had met him outside the airport. He'd immediately warmed her up with his kisses and tight hugs, so that made it worth it to Kagome.

She listened to his request, though, and waited at the baggage claim until she saw the flash of silver hair.

She thought back to months ago when she'd seen the same glimpse of that hair in the market and the subsequent pain she'd felt.

Now, four months later, it felt like she was living in a dream.

 _Has it really only been four months?_ she mused to herself as she walked in the direction she'd seen Inuyasha. _It feels like forever._

When Inuyasha finally caught sight of her, he flashed her a bright smile and made his way over to her.

She walked straight into his arms as they held each other tightly in the same manner she'd grown used to since she'd started traveling back and forth.

"Hi, sweetheart," he murmured into her hair. "I missed you."

Kagome squeezed him a bit tighter. "I missed you, too." He pulled back to kiss her before taking her bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Kagome wasted no time in taking his hand as he led her out of the airport.

Despite riding in the Corvette every weekend, Kagome still hadn't gotten used to it. Inuyasha would always laugh at her expression, which was the same look of shock each time she saw it.

They made it back to Inuyasha's apartment a little while later, and Kagome immediately kicked her shoes off, changed into her pajamas, and jumped into Inuyasha's bed.

Inuyasha laughed at the familiar routine before he slipped his shoes off as well to slide into the bed beside her.

Kagome had grown accustomed to the comfort of Inuyasha's massive bed, and she'd even told Inuyasha that she would be fine if they just lay in it and watched movies together all day.

She scooted closer to Inuyasha once he was under the covers with her and sighed happily.

"Hi," she murmured. She felt Inuyasha kiss the top of her head.

"Hey," he murmured back.

"What's the surprise?" Kagome asked. "I've been dying to know all day."

Inuyasha ran his fingers through her hair. Kagome could feel him smile against her head.

"As soon as you left the first time you came," he began, "I went to my boss and pitched an idea that hadn't been discussed in six years." Kagome looked up at him in confusion.

"Okay," she replied. "What was it?"

Inuyasha pulled away from her to roll on his side with his head propped up in his hand.

"I suggested we open a new branch," he explained. "The company is the most successful it's ever been, and, not to sound pompous, but a lot of that success has to do with me. So I went to the boss and mentioned the new branch opening that had been discussed before I moved here."

_The new branch...six years ago? Wouldn't that be the one back home?_

Kagome's eyes widened and she sat up quickly.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said desperately. "Is it the branch you originally interviewed for?"

Inuyasha nodded and smiled.

Tears pooled in Kagome's eyes.

"You're coming home?" she asked in a watery voice. Inuyasha reached out to cup her cheek in his hand.

"I'm coming home, Kagome."

Kagome threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his neck. "Oh, Inuyasha...this is the best surprise you could have given me." Inuyasha held her close.

"It won't be immediate, though," he said into her hair. "It takes a lot to create a new branch. We'll have to find a building, create a new budget, hire new people that are local to the area, all that. It'll take a long time."

Kagome pulled back and shook her head. "I don't care how long it'll take, so long as you wind up back home." Inuyasha tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Can you wait that long, Kagome?" he asked seriously. "It could take up to a year, maybe even two." Kagome shook her head again.

"I don't care," she repeated. "If anything, it's something exciting to look forward to." She smiled. "I actually had some news for you, too, although it's nowhere near as exciting as your surprise." Inuyasha chuckled.

"What is it?" he asked.

Kagome paused, increasing the suspense.

"I'm renewing my teaching license," she finally said. "I'm going back to teaching little middle schoolers."

Inuyasha gasped. "That's amazing, sweetheart! That's so exciting!" Kagome nodded eagerly.

"I just have to pay the fee and do some paperwork," she explained. "Quick and easy." She leaned down to brush her nose against Inuyasha's.

"Things are looking up, sweetheart," she murmured. "Our life together...our real and true life together, can finally start."

When Inuyasha closed the distance between them to kiss her, Kagome felt completely whole again.

_**Two Years Later…** _

"I can't believe I let you talk me into letting you drive Ol' Reliable."

Inuyasha laughed at Kagome's grumbling.

"This is the first time you've let me drive it in _years,_ Kagome," he reminded her. "I've already learned how to maneuver the new potholes. I'm perfectly capable of-"

_Bump!_

"Pull over, Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieked when he hit a pothole.

Inuyasha laughed again. "That was a small one, sweetheart! You distracted me with that pretty voice of yours." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Don't be dumb," she teased. "Be careful or it'll be the last time you drive."

Inuyasha chuckled at her lighthearted threat.

They were ten minutes into their hour-long drive to the building in which the new branch would be located, and Kagome was already complaining about how Inuyasha was driving Ol' Reliable.

After another fifteen minutes of him driving without hitting any potholes, Kagome seemed to relax.

She moved her hand to his shoulder and gently slid it to his hair, running her fingers through the long locks in the way that made Inuyasha melt.

And she knew it did.

"Watch it, woman," he said in a sultry voice. "You know what happens when you do that."

Kagome feigned innocence as she ran her fingers over the back of his neck.

"I do?" she asked lightly. "Huh, I can't say that I have that kind of _powerful_ knowledge."

Inuyasha chuckled. "It's a good thing we're not in high school anymore. I'd have already pulled the car over by now."

Kagome laughed. "I'm actually a little disappointed you outgrew that habit."

She settled for a final brush against his neck before reaching down into the cassette pocket.

"Hmm, which tape?" she pondered. Before he could even speak, she raised her hand.

"It's my turn to pick. You chose Blink-182 on the way here from the airport, remember? Give the lady a turn."

Inuyasha glanced at her and smiled. _What a woman…_

She chose a Kings of Leon cassette tape, which had been incredibly hard to find until Kagome had seen one on eBay for a ridiculous amount of money.

Both she and Inuyasha loved the band, so they'd split the cost and splurged.

When the notes of the first song started to play, Inuyasha sighed.

"I haven't heard this song in forever," he said. "I forgot we had this tape."

Kagome smiled. "Remember when we used to stargaze out by the pond? We would take a blanket and lay on the ground with this song blasting from the speakers."

Inuyasha sighed. "I remember. Those were some of the best nights."

The nights from the last two years had also been some of the best.

Inuyasha had been working his hardest to get the branch up and running. It was a project he'd offered to take on himself, so he was mostly in charge of finding the building as well as hiring new employees.

Kagome had continued coming to New York every weekend to visit him, along with him coming some weekends to visit her and his mother as well, and their relationship was stronger than ever.

Inuyasha smiled to himself as they turned onto the street of the new building. He'd made sure to grab a certain item from a certain drawer in his childhood bedroom, and it was now settled in his pocket, itching to be taken out and presented after the coming question.

When Inuyasha pulled into the parking lot, Kagome gasped.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "This is amazing!"

They were in a rather large city in Virginia, so finding a big enough building had been fairly easy.

It really was a nice building, with an interior that had Kagome gasping at every new corner. Inuyasha chuckled at her excitement and began to prepare himself as they reached his office.

"Wow," she said for what seemed like the hundredth time. "This radiates _boss man_ vibes."

Inuyasha smiled at the nickname she'd picked up from Sango. Inuyasha had been right about his assistant; she and Kagome had hit it off immediately and were thick as thieves.

Inuyasha and Miroku always joked that the two women would take over the world one day.

Sango had actually helped Inuyasha come up with the perfect way for the moment to unfold, and Inuyasha was more than excited to finally pop the question.

Before Kagome could turn around, Inuyasha grabbed the ring box from his pocket and knelt down on one knee.

The expression on Kagome's face when she turned to see him was one that Inuyasha tried to commit to his memory.

He would never forget that moment.

"Kagome," Inuyasha began, "we practically saw this coming since we were kids. It took a long time to get here, but we somehow managed to get it right after so long apart."

He looked at her seriously. "And, Kagome, I never want to be apart from you ever again. I'm sorry this took so long and is so overdue, but...will you marry me?"

Inuyasha saw tears fill Kagome's eyes as she nodded.

Inuyasha smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger before standing up to pull her into a tight embrace.

"I love you," she murmured. "No one else, Inuyasha. Always you."

After a long moment, they pulled back.

Kagome smiled up at him. "Is this the ring from your sock drawer?"

Inuyasha nodded and laughed. "Yeah, but I've had it cleaned since then. It was a little too dusty."

Kagome leaned up to kiss him before the laugh even finished passing her lips.

o.O.o

They were married the next day in a simple courthouse ceremony with Izayoi as the witness, and just like they'd always talked about, they had Kagome's apple pie instead of a wedding cake at the reception. Miroku and Sango were able to fly out to attend, as well as a few of Kagome's coworkers-turned-friends from school.

Inuyasha then officially moved into Kagome's house with her. He thanked his lucky stars that Kagome was between tenants at that point so they got to enjoy their time as newlyweds.

A week after they got married, they were laying in bed before going to sleep.

"I forgot to tell you something," Inuyasha said. "Sango and Miroku are moving to the city where the branch is. Sango said I was the only boss man she'd ever want to work for, so she refused to let me leave her behind in the city. With the twins being so young, I'm sure she'll enjoy a quieter place for them to grow up. The city is still big, but it's definitely smaller than New York."

Kagome nodded happily. "That sounds wonderful." Inuyasha knew she loved Sango and Miroku's six-month-old twins, and Inuyasha saw many playdates between them and his and Kagome's child, whenever that might come.

They hadn't talked about it much yet, having been too busy planning the new branch and just being together, but Inuyasha often thought about what their child might look like.

"Maybe we could visit our dads and my mom tomorrow," Kagome suggested. "With the branch opening next week and school starting, I'm not sure how much time we'll have." Inuyasha nodded.

"We can always make time," he assured her. "Going tomorrow sounds nice. I'll let Mom know in the morning."

Kagome smiled and lay her head on Inuyasha's chest.

"Inuyasha, I'm so glad I went to New York to chase after you. I can't imagine where we would be if I hadn't gone."

Inuyasha kissed the top of her head. "We would have found our way back to each other somehow." Kagome laughed lightly.

"I think you're right," she agreed. "Do you remember when you came to visit for the first time and I said that we were destined to be together but that our chapter had ended? That it would be impossible to come back from what we'd lost?"

Inuyasha nodded and tried to ignore the sting that came with the memory. "Yeah, I remember."

Kagome lay her hand over his heart. "I didn't tell you, but I was _dying_ for that to not be true. I'm so glad it wasn't."

"Me, too," Inuyasha replied softly. "You were right about fate. I walked away, but I'm so glad you pulled me back in, that we came back from the time we'd lost."

"Yeah," Kagome murmured. "So am I."

o.O.o

A year later, Inuyasha came home from work a bit more tired than usual.

It had been a long day full of meetings, so it had been productive but rather draining.

When he got home, Kagome was already there, waiting for him on the couch.

As soon as he walked through the door, she jumped up to meet him there.

"I took a test today," she exclaimed.

Inuyasha frowned. "You took a test? Instead of your students?"

"Not that kind of test," she said pointedly. It took Inuyasha a minute to catch on.

"You mean a _pregnancy_ test?" he asked excitedly, all fatigue from his day disappearing. Kagome nodded eagerly and grabbed his hand to pull him into the half-bathroom.

"I took it a few minutes ago before you got home," she explained. "I didn't look at the results yet. I wanted to wait for you." Inuyasha took her hand.

"Let's do it."

When they saw the thin lines, Inuyasha and Kagome gasped simultaneously.

"I'm pregnant!" she shrieked. "With your baby!" She jumped into Inuyasha's arms.

"Who else's baby would it be?" he teased as he hugged her tightly.

"I'm so happy," Kagome said. "I think I'll bake an apple pie to celebrate."

Inuyasha laughed and pulled back to kiss her. "Maybe I'll make the casserole from the first time I visited?" he suggested. "A full-circle kind of meal, you know?"

"Full-circle," Kagome repeated as she looked up into his eyes. "I like the sound of that."

o.O.o

A little over eight months later, Inuyasha and Kagome were laying in their bed.

Per usual, Inuyasha's hand was running lightly over the large swell of Kagome's belly.

Luckily, the baby was due a couple weeks after the school year ended, so Kagome would have the whole break between school years as well as maternity leave to stay home with the baby. When Kagome's maternity leave was set to end, Izayoi had offered to take care of the baby during the day. She was thrilled to be a grandmother.

"We need a name," Kagome said softly as she lay her hand over Inuyasha's. "Do you have any ideas?"

Inuyasha paused to think for a moment. "What about Moroha?"

Kagome hummed. "I like it."

Inuyasha rubbed his thumb on Kagome's stomach.

"Baby Moroha," he murmured. "A little mix of Kagome and Inuyasha." He took a moment to just look at Kagome quietly.

"Do you know what a 'delta' is?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, it's where land is formed when a river divides off into a bunch of others," she replied.

Inuyasha smiled. "It's how I've thought of us for the last few years. When we broke up...that's when everything divided for us. Our delta."

Kagome sighed happily. "You're right. It sometimes takes a while to trace something from the delta, just like it did for us."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her.

"Kagome, I'm infinitely grateful we came back from the delta."

FIN.


End file.
